Terrestrial
by CreamPuffBunny
Summary: Content with being a soldier, Ludwig suddenly finds himself caring for and collecting data on a captured alien named Gilbert. The two quickly form a bond even though they are from different galaxies. But Ludwig disapproves of the cruel experiments Gilbert is placed under and must choose between his strict military vows or saving his alien companion. Full summary inside. AU/Sci-Fi
1. Dark Matter

*****Welcome to another germancest fanfic! This one will not be terribly long. I've never done sci-fi before so this is my first shot at the genre. Some of the terminology may be a bit cheesy but just enjoy the story for what it is. I'm also trying to work on making my stories move a bit faster and learning to make them shorter, so bear with me. You learn by_ doing!_ ^^ Besides, it's nice to see an alien Gilbert, right!? And this is for your entertainment! I hope you enjoy it! **

*****Warnings: light yaoi, minor angst**

*****Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. I am making no money off of this fic.**

*****Summary: Content with staying a galactic soldier, Ludwig unexpectedly finds himself in a new profession of caring for and documenting the daily life of a captured alien named Gilbert. The alien takes a very strange liking to Ludwig, and although they come from different galaxies it won't change how they feel about one another**. **But Ludwig does not agree with the harsh treatment and experiments conducted on the human-like alien in the name of science and strives for a way to save Gilbert from the dark laboratory studies of the Quasar 575. Torn between his vows of sworn military duty and his own humanity, he must make the choice to either save Gilbert or save himself. **

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**Chapter 1: Dark Matter**

The radio played softly in the small confinement of the spaceship's soldier quarters. Smaller than a studio apartment, the area only had room for a bed, an end table, and a gun rack. The soldiers aboard Quasar 575 are responsible for the management of the ship as well as defense on other planets. Their sole purpose is to protect the scientists and politicians who journey through the galaxies, searching for alien life forms, intergalactic mediation, and space exploration. All were a part of the Universal Space Organization for Peace and Tranquility. Or so it they say.

Two guards accompanying a scientist made their way through the halls of the quarters to room number 1901. The scientist knocked, waited a moment, and then the door slid open with a hiss.

"Ludwig Beilschmidt, yes?" The scientist held out a scanning device in front of the young man, who had just risen from his bed.

"Yes?" The man named Ludwig forced his sleep-hazed eyes to focus.

"I'm Professor Sai Callaghan, chief scientist here on the Quasar 575."

"Sir." Ludwig answered respectfully.

Sai turned to the guard on his left. "This is the one for the job? He is awfully young."

"Sir, Ludwig will do the job well." Answered the guard. "He is hard working, very diligent, punctual, and will never fail an assignment."

"His stats are amazing." Sai said as he tapped the blinking screen of the scanner. "Twenty seven years old, German heritage, in good health- healthy weight, BMI perfect for size, well groomed, perfect test and training scores…"

Ludwig finally decided to let himself be heard. "May I inquire as to what this about, sir?"

"Oh, my apologies." Sai lifted his glasses. "We have a special job for you, Mr. Ludwig. We've recently captured a new alien specimen. But we'll talk more once you are properly dressed. Come down to the lecture hall on the fifth floor. I'll be waiting for you there with your instructions."

"I'm sorry...but I must ask why I am chosen for something so important as working with an alien species. I am only an intergalactic soldier."

"I'll explain everything once we're in the lecture hall." Sai smiled. "Now hurry up. I don't like to be kept waiting."

Ludwig waited for them to leave before closing the door to his tiny room. He didn't know what this job entailed, but it was clear he had very little choice in the matter. It wasn't his place to question the choices of the Space Union representatives and scientists. The only way to make a decent living is to join the Universal Space Organization military with the human alliance. The human's planet Earth, as well as its Solar System, had hit universe poverty in the last five hundred years, making it difficult for humans to survive in an ever growing, ever changing universe. He was fortunate enough to get accepted into the military.

Once dressed, he gazed down at his body adorning the Quasar military uniform. Five years ago, he never would have thought he'd be wearing a space military uniform. Uniforms for first, second and third level soldiers were fairly simple and plain; black pants, combat boots, long sleeved black under armor, a gold laser proof vest, and black gloves. All made from high quality industrial space material. His helmet, which matched the vest, is tucked under his left arm for he figured there was no need for it in the lecture hall, but he wanted to be prepared. He was always prepared for anything.

'Let's see what the galaxy holds for you today.'

Entering the lecture hall through sliding doors, Ludwig clicked his heels and saluted the team of three at the far desk on the dais. Sai waved him forward and Ludwig approached, saluting again, and standing at attention.

"At ease, soldier." Said Sai. "As of this moment, you are not considered a galaxy soldier."

"Sir? I don't understand." Were they dismissing him?

Another scientist said, "We are changing your duties here on Quasar 575." he said. "You will be guarding our new alien specimen."

Sai spoke next. "We've yet to know exactly what it is, but we know that this alien being is a long time relative of humans. It is an evolved human that adapted to its new climate and planet, or so we assume. Many more tests are needed. This hypothesis we've come to is due to the obvious fact that this specimen looks very much like a human male with some adaptations."

The third scientist sitting on Sai's left added, "We believe this alien is an evolved descendant of the rebel humans that escaped from Neo Europe some thousands of years ago. The planet in which they chose to live changed them quickly, speeding the evolution process."

"Our explorers came upon this alien by pure chance on the planet." Sai added. "It is a rather...stubborn and curious creature. We've chosen you for the job of guarding and caring for it because of your positive feedback from fellow soldiers." Sai opened up Ludwig's file. "You are known to be very patient but firm and strict- a man of rules and laws. You like order."

"I do, sir." Ludwig answered. "But...I'm not a caregiver. I have never cared for or treated an alien being. I wasn't trained to do so."

The second scientist took the folder from Sai. "It's known that you are also a frequent visitor of the space dogs in the Quasar kennels. Word is that you can easily train any dog, of any temperament, in a very short time."

"Well...yes, sir, I'm very good with dogs. Dogs. Not alien beings."

"They're not much different." Sai said with a grin, making the other scientists laugh. "If this being is truly evolved from humans, than the basic genetic material may still be there. This being may be able to pick up on human speech again. There are so many tests that must be done." He said with a long sigh. "But, it is for the good of the galaxy!"

Ludwig furrowed his blonde brows. "Sirs? If I may speak?" The nodded for him to do so. "What is the reason behind learning about this alien species? Are they a threat to us in any way? A threat to the universe?"

The third scientist tapped his pen on the table. "Some information of the Space Union is confidential, Mr. Ludwig. Such private information is for the science departments to discuss. Not soldiers and caregivers."

Ludwig bowed his head. "I apologize."

"Not to worry." Sai assured him." You have a right to question your curiosity. Hell, the three of us wouldn't be at this table at this point in our lives if we didn't question that which makes us curious!" The others laughed with him. "Now, come with me. I'll show you where you will be staying for the duration of this experiment."

Ludwig had never been in the lower level of the ship where the scientists kept all the aliens they've collected. The chambers reminded him of the kennels, something that always left him feeling sorry for the animals behind bars. The dogs had bars, but the aliens had thick layered glass and holographic environments mimicking their planets. He didn't like to look at the aliens in their 'cages', seeing them more as prisoners rather than a 'learning tool to better understand the universe'. But, it was not his place to think or question the ways of the space industry.

Sai stopped them in front of a large glass window that stood ceiling to floor. Inside was a forest-like habitat, rich in green foliage, flowers and stones. Ludwig looked around the immediate viewing area, hoping to catch sight of the specimen but saw nothing.

"We've mimicked his home planet perfectly. It's still a mystery as to how those rebels found such a healthy planet. However, we are more perplexed by the way they've evolved to the climate, which is not at all what you would think by looking at the woodland atmosphere."

"What do you mean?" Ludwig questioned while searching the area again. "Are you saying that they appear opposite of their environment? As in, they are more fish-like than squirrel-like?"

"Excellent observation, Ludwig. Not quite right, but you're on the right track." Sai lifted his swipe card to open the door to the habitat. "Follow me, but come in quietly. He is not very shy, as you'll soon find out."

Ludwig followed Sai inside, jumping a little when the door hissed shut behind him. The temperature in the habitat chamber was hot, even a little muggy. "And we are certain it is a 'he'?"

"Well, it has a penis and an anus with no mutations. We haven't really looked at its reproductive organs yet, so we can't rule out if it is all male, asexual, or a hermaphrodite. It could give live birth or lay eggs. It could be something else altogether. But from various blood tests we know for a fact that they have indeed developed from humans, we're just not certain which type. Oh, and we've given him a name. Gilbert."

"Gilbert? Why Gilbert?"

"Whatever language it speaks, the most recurring word sounds like 'Gilbert', so we've given it that name. The experiment name is Hybrid 6900. He-" a rustling from the bushes nearby caught their attention. "Ah, here he is now!" Sai gave a whistle, as if he were calling a dog.

Ludwig looked towards the rustling, waiting for the alien to emerge. What came out from behind the bushes wasn't what he expected. He didn't know what to expect really, but the thing before him looked more human than creature.

Hybrid 6900, or Gilbert, stood upright on two legs, just like a human. He is male by the looks of his genitals but other sex organs may still be present. From the tailbone swished a long white tail, almost lizard like, with scales and a shiny surface. His body form was that of an athletes', with toned lithe muscles. The hair was white, appearing to be the same texture as his own. The eyes were odd, for they were pink, like an albino, which Ludwig realized now that this creature had all the features of a human albino- white, pale skin with very faint veins showing through the surface, pink eyes, and white hair.

The only 'alien-like' features that were present, or those that he could see were minimal. The ears were pointed at the tips like a pixie. His fingers were long but where nails should be there were small claws. The feet resembled a bird of prey with thick sharp talons on three toes each. To look upon this almost-human like creature was a mind blowing experience. He had seen many aliens, but never one that looked so much like a human man.

"Well, what do you think? Give me your opinion of him."

"I...um...well, I think he looks like a falcon mated with a lizard but an ape was the surrogate."

Sai laughed wholeheartedly, which frightened the alien Gilbert a bit. "That's very good! He does look like a mash-up of creatures, doesn't he? Wait until you see him lift his arms! He has a sheet of skin that he can use to glide, like a bird or a flying squirrel."

"He looks more like an archaeopteryx." Ludwig said. "You know, a flying dinosaur."

"I know what they are." Sai said while taking a step towards Gilbert, who backed away and growled. "Now what do you make of that growl? Does it sound human or animal?"

Ludwig shook his head. "I...don't know, sir. He appears angry, that much is obvious."

"Oh, he despises me because I'm the one who does the tests on him. I only take his blood now, but in another day or so he will be put to many tests. I won't be his favorite after that."

"Why? Can't you just observe him in his habitat as is?" Ludwig suggested.

"No, that's your job. Aside from caring for him, you will also be keeping a log of everything you observe. I want a daily report on my desk by eight o'clock Earth time. I'll show you where your recording devices are in a moment." Sai looked to Gilbert with a smirk and took a few steps back. "I want to see how he acts towards you. I can't be everywhere at once and I have a lot of other aliens to work with. This alien, in my opinion, is close enough to a human that someone like you can handle him. You will do well in this job." He gave him a pat on the back.

Ludwig remained where he stood and looked at the creature named Gilbert who was gazing back at him with animalistic curiosity. After a moment or two, Gilbert lowered himself to the ground and walked towards Ludwig like a lizard. The image was a bit frightening, but Ludwig knew he had to hide his fear and uncertainty behind calm assertiveness. At first, the alien being sniffed at his boots, then his legs, and even his crotch. Ludwig took a step back immediately. The alien Gilbert came back to him but ignored his nether region and simply looked up at him with wide pink eyes.

In a strange and unnatural way, Ludwig thought the creature was beautiful. It looked so much like a human that it was fairly easy to see past the alien features. Ludwig never cared to be in a relationship with women or men, human or alien. Some highly developed planets and solar systems had almost human-like beings that mated with humans but it didn't happen often. Ludwig himself never gave any thought to women for it was men that he had always desired. His first experience with male sex was with a bunk mate during his early training years but he hadn't done anything since, and that was almost ten years ago. The need never struck him until now.

Whatever it was, the alien seemed to read his expression or knew what he was thinking, for a smile appeared on Gilbert's face. The teeth were that of a human, which was good, but the pink tongue that slipped out was long and forked at the tip. He had to treat Gilbert like a wild animal by not moving and letting him explore at his own pace. If he made any sudden movements, Gilbert may view it as a threat and attack. Although, it was becoming a bit uncomfortable when the alien stood up to press fully against him. They were almost the same height with Ludwig being an inch taller. The alien Gilbert stared longingly at him, as if he were studying his face.

"Amazing!" Sai whispered. "He's taken a liking to you!"

"I'm just here to watch him and feed him right? I'm not supposed to keep him company?"

"You'll do anything we tell you to do." Sai said harshly. "If making you spend time in here with him gives us the data we need, then that's what you'll do. Those are orders."

Ludwig nodded but leaned his head back when Gilbert's face drew nearer. "Yes sir."

"Now then, let me show you what to do to record what you observe. You, shoo!" he swished his hands towards Gilbert and the alien hissed at him but backed away to hide in the bushes. "I'll let you be the good guy with him. Come with me."

Ludwig took a look back at the bushes before following Sai out of the habitat chamber. In a wall closet by the door was a tablet along with a few binders and some books. Sai handed him the tablet.

"Have you used one of these?"

"At the academy, yes."

"Good, then you know how it works. But here is where you will record everything. Click that icon with the organization's symbol on it." Ludwig did so with the stylus. "Press notebook, now you can either write or speak what you record. Then you hit this button and it will send to my file folder. Your break times will be when we come to take Gilbert for testing. Some will be inside the habitat chamber, others will be out in the lab."

Ludwig looked at the tablet in his hand, and then at the habitat chamber where Gilbert dwelled. "What exactly are you looking for in him? If you give me an idea of what the main topic of research is, I can keep an eye out for clues while I'm observing him."

"Nice try, but no-go." Sai taunted. "You just record what you see and what he does. If you want, do a little experimenting yourself with him! See if you can get him to act like a human. That shall occupy your spare time."

"Alright. I will do my best." He saluted. "You won't be disappointed, sir."

Sai pat him on the back. "Good job. Now, here's your key card to get inside. Behind those doors there is the food pantry. Feed him ONLY what is labeled with Hybrid 6900. Nothing else. Understand?"

"Yes sir."

"And he's due for a feeding. It doesn't matter what or how much he eats, just that is has to be from HIS bins. Get to it. I'll be awaiting the first report."

Ludwig waited for Sai to leave to go to the food pantry. There were numerous tubs of foods all labeled. The entire right side, from top to bottom, was labeled Hybrid 6900. Ludwig took out the middle container, placed it on the floor, and lifted the lid to find individual bags of food. He took out one large bag packed with fruits and vegetables. Other bags had dried meats so he took one of those as well. He figured if Gilbert was anything like a human then he needed a three course meal. He put the container back on the shelf.

Inside the habitat chamber, Ludwig took a seat on the fake grass and gave a whistle the same as Sai did. The rustling came from up in the trees this time where a tail came flicking down first, followed by the lizard-like body. Ludwig waited patiently for Gilbert to come over to him while holding the bags of food in his lap. Gilbert crawled like a lizard towards him and when he got there, he sat on his knees. Ludwig pat his knees and said, "Sit."

Gilbert tilted his head to the side.

"Sit. Like me." he pointed his own legs, and then to Gilbert's. "Sit. Like me."

'Glllllleerrrrrrr burRRrrrrR tttTtttTTTt.' Was the sound Gilbert replied with as he mimicked Ludwig's sitting position. The voice came out as a high pitched throat vibration of sound.

"Uh...yes. Good. Good." If Gilbert could understand him at all, Ludwig figured it would be best to speak in simple short words. "Good."

Gilbert pointed to the bags of food. 'GrrrrRrrrllll brrrTTTt?'

"Food." Ludwig pointed to the bag with the food. "Food. Food. Food." This worked with the dogs so it might work with an alien.

'Rrrrlllll ffffFFFffoooooooooollll?'

Ludwig's eyes widened when he heard the starting sound of 'F'. "Yes! Food!" he took out an apple. "Food. Food."

Gilbert stared at him for a moment before snatching the apple to quickly start eating it.

Ludwig was pleased with how quickly he had made progress. As of now, it would appear that Gilbert is capable of learning human speech. That part of the human brain must still be intact in the genetic makeup. This is something he would put in the report. He let Gilbert continue eating the fruits and vegetables until the bags were empty. When it came to the meat, there was a change in Gilbert but only with his teeth. The human canine teeth grew into fangs so that they could easily tear at the meat. Ludwig would have to be sure to keep Gilbert from showing those sharp teeth again once they turned back to normal.

Once the alien had eaten his fill, Ludwig started to clean up the empty bags. He stopped for a moment when he noticed Gilbert staring at him. Ludwig chose to remain still in case the alien might attack. He wanted to show the creature that he posed no threat or danger to him. Instead of attacking, Gilbert curiously began to sniff and poke at him, exploring his human body and clothing. Ludwig allowed him to do so.

Gilbert pulled at the clothing, pinching the fabric between his fingers to feel the texture. Ludwig noticed how curious the alien was about him even though he had already been in the presence of humans. The pale hands moved to his face to cup his cheeks and squish his face around. It was a bit annoying, but Ludwig remained calm by reminding himself that this was all part of the job. Then Gilbert's long pale fingers found his hair, which the alien chose to not only tug but try to eat as well. Ludwig had to push him gently away with a soft 'no' and put the alien's hand back onto his head. He moved Gilbert's hand to show him how to stroke instead of pull. Gilbert appeared to catch on for he began doing so on his own, yet it was quickly becoming too fast and rough. To Ludwig, it was annoying but Gilbert appeared to be having fun. The alien even laughed! Or what he could assume was a laugh.

'Kesssessseessse!'

'That's a sound that will haunt me in my sleep.' Ludwig said to himself and finally pushed Gilbert's hands away from his hair. "No more."

'NoooooOOoooOOOOOOooooo?'

"No. No more." He shook his head. "No more." Gilbert cocked his head to the side. "I have to go now." Ludwig stood up and gathered the plastic bags in his arms. "I'll be back soon." The alien just looked up at him, confused. He figured it would be easier to show Gilbert rather than tell so he started for the door. When he reached the handle and fished out his keycard, he heard Gilbert's warbling sounds coming from behind. He turned to see the alien standing behind him.

'NoooOOoOoOOOoo.'

Ludwig turned to face him. "Go." He pointed to the door. "I go." The alien smiled, reached out his hands, and knocked the bags to the ground. He took Ludwig's hands and started to pull him. "Let me go." He didn't want to struggle in case Gilbert became angry or showed super strength, which was possible.

'NooOoooOooooooOOOOooo. Kesesesssesese!'

Ludwig didn't like the sound of that laugh but he let himself be led away by the alien and into the habitat woods. Perhaps Gilbert wanted to show him something. The fake woods looked very real, so much so that Ludwig reached out to touch one of the trees. It felt like an actual tree yet it was only a simulation. Sometimes he forgotten just how large the Quasar 575 was. He turned back to Gilbert as the alien continued to walk him through the forest, making not a sound other than the scrunching of grass beneath their feet. Ludwig suddenly felt his gaze glide down Gilbert's back to the start of his tail that covered the buttocks. The tail swished and swayed as he walked and Ludwig wondered if Gilbert used his tail to help him balance while standing upright. That was another note he would have to make.

'GiiiiiLllllllllllbbbbbbrrrrttttttt.' The alien stopped and pointed up to the trees.

Ludwig followed the long finger to see a hanging nest, a very LARGE hanging nest like that type birds on Earth would make. Only this nest looked like a small home, being both wide and tall enough to fit one or two people. Was this what Gilbert wanted to show him? Is this nest his home? Ludwig looked at Gilbert in hopes to guess what the alien wanted him to do. Gilbert only grinned at him, let go of his hand, and rushed to the tree to climb it quickly like a raccoon or a lizard. Ludwig watched in awe as the alien crawled onto the hanging nest and towards the entry hole. Gilbert looked down at Ludwig from his spot and made a strange sound.

"Do you want me to come up there?" He watched Gilbert disappear into the hole for a moment only to see the white head peeking out at him. "He does. He wants me to go up there." 'So his race builds nests?'

Without thinking, Ludwig proceeded to climb the tree but with great difficulty and kept sliding down. Slightly frustrated, Ludwig looked around for something to stand on so he could jump and reach the hole to pull himself inside. He was curious to know what was inside that hanging nest. To his left he found a rock that would give him just the bit of extra height he needed to jump. Pushing it beneath the nest, he jumped onto the tip of it, calculated his angle, and jumped. His hands gripped the edge of the entry hole, surprised at how strong and sturdy it was, so much so that he was able to pull himself up and into the nest. Gilbert helped him a bit as well.

"Thank you." Ludwig said once he was seated on the nest floor.

Instead of looking at Gilbert he looked around at the marvelous structure of the hanging nest. It was made of sticks, reeds, and other vine-like plants. It didn't seem possible that such a sound hanging structure could be made so well. It was supporting both their weights inside of it. The area inside is big enough for two or three people to lay down comfortably. The bottom of the nest was stuffed and lined with soft leaves, cotton, tall grass and more reeds. The nest resembled so much of an animals' that Ludwig almost didn't believe that a human, or alien, could make this. If Gilbert's people really were an old race that evolved in the new climate and atmosphere of a planet then this way of building may have been all they could make. Over the thousands of years of evolution they reverted to a more primitive lifestyle than an advance one.

'Hm. Backwards evolution? No…perhaps adaption. Adaptation along with climate and atmosphere change. Fascinating!' There is so much he would be writing down tonight! Then, he felt the presence of Gilbert close to him and that broke his train of thought. "Gilbert?" The alien stared at him intently, inching his face closer and closer. Ludwig felt his back press against the nest wall. "Gilbert? What are you doing?" Did he just willingly let himself be lead into the alien's den to be killed or eaten? He clenched his fists at his sides, ready to defend himself should Gilbert attempt to strike. The alien was made of flesh like him so a good punch or two will keep it at bay.

But what came at his face was not a pair of a fangs or a fist but the alien's tongue. The texture of the forked tongue is smooth upon his cheek, leaving a little stream of cooling saliva. The gesture, at first, reminded Ludwig of the dogs, but the licking quickly became more sensual. Ludwig was too stunned at the moment to move or react. Gilbert made a sound like a purr in the back of his throat while suddenly heated hands pressed on his knees to get closer. Gilbert's tail swayed behind him, lifted high so that the tip pointed to the ceiling. What exactly was Gilbert doing? Showing affection?

Ludwig was mesmerized by the alien now seated in his lap, groins pressed tightly together while the long forked tongue lapped at an earlobe. Up close to Gilbert's face he could see now that the alien is exotically beautiful with those pink eyes and pale features. Gilbert looked more like a human up close, a very sensual and seductive human. Ludwig felt his pants tighten but not before a sudden warm dampness covered the front of his groin. Finally breaking away from his trance, he looked at their groins to see that Gilbert was very aroused and a thick, pick color substance leaked from the alien's backside for it was smeared on the pale thighs as well.

That was when Ludwig realized what was happening and immediately panicked.

"GOODBYE!"

He threw the shocked alien off of him and crawled, or rather fell, out of the nest. With a pained yelp he landed on the ground, just missing the rock. Hissing in pain he looked up to see Gilbert's head peeking out of the nest, and then the alien stuck his tongue out at him! A childish act!

Ludwig was quick to leave the woods after that little 'display' of affection or mating. He felt his cheeks burning red with embarrassment due to the stiffy he still carried in his pants now sporting a wet spot in the front…as if he peed himself. Hopefully no one would be in the halls when he left. It was time for a break even if they hadn't come to take Gilbert for testing. He had to 'take a break' to record his notes and he had to do it outside of the habitat chamber in case the alien came back to try again. He would have to think of a new way to approach Gilbert from now on.

/

The scientists came early for Gilbert and Ludwig was allowed to return to his room for the evening. Sai told him that after tonight he would stay in some dorms by the habitat chambers for data would have to also be taken at night. Ludwig's sleeping schedule would be thrown off.

He sat in his bed with the tablet in hand to record everything he had seen.

'_Hybrid 6900, upon first private observation, appeared to be more animal-like than human. I proceeded to teach him some basic words starting with 'food'. Hybrid 6900, after a few attempts, was able to pronounce the 'f' sound, which leads me to believe that he has vocal cords and has a sense of phonological awareness. He ate all of his food, eating the fruits and vegetables first before eating the meat. When he chewed the meat, his canine teeth grew into fangs so the flesh is easier to tear. The fangs returned to normal length after he was done. _

_Now that I have gained his trust and friendship he took me to his home, a very large structure of a hanging nest similar to that of a birds'. It is a sound structure able to hold both of us. I am not certain if he made it himself or if it was already there in the habitat chamber. He was very eager to show me the nest but I did not stay long inside.'_

Ludwig wondered if he should write about the sexual nature of Gilbert while being in the nest. It would be disobeying orders if he did not write it down, or if he was found out at a later time that he did not record the sexual encounter. If he wrote about it, though, they may move on to other tests, or worse yet, use him in the tests as well! Ludwig quickly imagined himself naked in a room with a two-way mirror and forced to have sex with Hybrid 6900, for the 'sake of science'. The scientist Sai, in his opinion, seemed like the kind of 'mad scientist' that would suggest something like that.

'But if I don't write about…I could punished for withholding data. Or what if they turn to harsher experiments on Gilbert?' It was a very tough decision, but Ludwig made a vow when he joined the academy that he would always perform his duties, follow orders, and be a model soldier. This is the only life he has now and if he were to lose it, then there would be nothing left for him in the universe. "I'm sorry, Gilbert."

'_Inside the nest, Hybrid 6900 proceeded to mate with me. This may be the reason why he brought me to the hanging nest, his home. This may be a very common act in his race for he was familiar with it and had no doubts or fear about letting me inside. His body leaked a secretion from the anus when he became aroused. I am uncertain if this is a form of mating or something else entirely. I politely declined the mating and left the nest. The alien, however, chose to be childish and stuck his tongue out at me but did not come out of his nest. I chose to leave him alone until tomorrow._

With a heated blush he sent the file to Sai's records. Then, he shut off the tablet, got under the covers, and hid.

The following morning, after his breakfast, Ludwig returned to the habitat chambers to see Gilbert. On the way his tablet beeped with an alert of some kind. He paused to open the screen and see that a message had been sent. He clicked it open to see it was a message from Sai, telling him to meet them in the laboratory, room 298. Before he left, he quickly looked at Gilbert's habitat chambers to see the sign up on the door that the alien had been taken out for testing. Ludwig figured this calling had to do with his first report. Tucking the tablet under his arm he made for the laboratory.

The laboratory portion of the Quasar 575 is forbidden to ship soldiers and residents unless written permission is given. When Ludwig got to the main doors the elite soldiers allowed him entry without a word or proof of permission. Ludwig paid it no mind as he entered the laboratory hall. He had to blink his eyes a few times to adjust them to the bright lights leading to another set of doors. These doors, however, had an activation code to enter. He tried the key card but it was denied. The screen above it popped on and Sai's face greeted him.

'Ah, Ludwig! Good morning to you! Come right in.' The screen shut off and the doors opened for him.

When Ludwig entered into another hall full of doors he was met by another scientist. "Hello Ludwig, good to see you up and about! Dr. Wellryde is waiting for you in 298."

"Yes, I received the message a little bit ago." Why did all these scientists speak to him as if they knew him personally? Their actions towards him were just a little friendly.

"Come, come! Follow me!" He lead Ludwig down a few more halls. "We were very pleased with your first report, Ludwig. The wording could have been better, but we don't expect a soldier to speak like a scientist."

Ludwig was a bit insulted but kept it to himself. "I'm honored you and the others approved. It was, after all, my very first data report of any kind. Military logs and records are one thing, but this is my first time working so closely with an alien being."

"Quite understandable. Ah, here we are." His keycard opened the door for them. "Please, come in."

Ludwig entered the large laboratory that was filled with various machines and different pitched 'beeps'. To the far right was a woman seated at a control desk in laboratory robes. Her blonde hair was up in a bun and she wore her glass low on her nose. She didn't acknowledge him when he came in. Sai stood at a glass wall in the shape of a wide cylinder, his hands folded neatly behind his back with his thumbs twiddling.

"Doctor, Ludwig is here."

Sai turned him with a smile. His heavy rimmed glasses flashed with a glare across the first lens and his dark hair was tied in a small ponytail down his back. "Good morning to you, Ludwig."

"Good morning, sir." Ludwig clicked his heels and stood at attention.

"I was pleased with your report. You observed some…very interesting actions with our alien friend."

"I only did what I was told to do, sir."

Ludwig took notice of what was behind the glass cylinder wall and it was the battered form of Gilbert. His eyes widened as he looked at the state of Gilbert's body, covered in red wounds and welts. Around his wrists and ankles were shackles, the same ones that the soldiers carried around with them. He looked like a beaten dog, curled up on the floor with his tail between his legs in fear and submission. Ludwig wanted to ask what they had done to him, but he knew that it was not appropriate to speak unless spoken to. He was upon the high elite of scientists on this ship and they could make or break him. It left a bad taste in his mouth. And then, their eyes met- pink and blue. Gilbert looked at him, smiled weakly, and placed a hand on the glass. Ludwig felt his heart begin to race. It was just like down in the kennels when the dogs wagged their tails and jumped on the gate doors, eager and happy to see him. Gilbert may think that he is here to help him, which he wasn't. But it wasn't that he didn't want to help he just couldn't. It was law. Yet his heart went out to the wounded creature.

"Are you concerned with his state right now?" Sai asked, referring to Gilbert.

"I am wondering why he is wounded, sir. I'm guessing he gave you a hard time?"

Sai nodded. "He's a wild one, for sure. But we're teaching him to be obedient. He's more headstrong than a dog so our methods of discipline must be harsh. Let me demonstrate."

Ludwig wanted to say that wouldn't be necessary but he was not suppose to debate or disagree with the scientists. He hated himself for it. Still, he was a soldier, trained to be stern, strict, and strong in the face of trouble or danger. To show emotion is a sign of weakness within the galactic military, so he folded his arms behind his back and forced himself to watch Gilbert in the cylinder. The alien's eyes were on him until Sai went over to the woman at the control desk. Ludwig saw Gilbert begin to panic, scrambling in the chamber but unable to move quickly due to the weight of the shackles. Sai pressed a button on the control desk and a green mist quickly filled the glass cylinder. As it surrounded Gilbert's body the alien let out a stream of high pitched screeches that hurt Ludwig's ears. It was a barbaric act, what they were doing to Gilbert, and he wanted to shout out to them to stop. Sai stopped it on his own.

"See how he responds to the mist? He knew what I was going to do before I even pressed the button." He walked back to the glass wall and waved Ludwig over. "Come. I want to show you something."

Ludwig did as he was told.

"This is the best way to get him to cooperate with our testing. Once he learns that no harm will come to him when he listens then we can do away with his punishment. And all these marks you see on his body? Yes, we caused them in the struggle. However, in a few moments, you will see him do something quite remarkable."

Ludwig looked at Gilbert's shaking naked form on the floor of the chamber and wanted to break through the glass to comfort him. These types of experiments were not what he thought of when he heard about the great scientists of the Quasar 575. The scientists seemed more like bullies than doctors of science. They were ganging up on one simple alien who, in his experience, is not harmful in any way. And then he noticed something happening to Gilbert's white body. The wounds started to close shut on their own, returning his skin to a flawless pale once again. Gilbert then turned to look at them through the glass, appearing completely healed. Ludwig's eyes widened.

"Remarkable, right? He knows how to heal himself. Doctor Ron, Doctor West, you are both dismissed for now." He said to the other two scientists in the room. After both had left, Sai turned Ludwig's attention away from Gilbert by walking him to a small sitting area. "Let us discuss your report in greater detail, Ludwig."

"Yes sir." Ludwig took a seat on the sofa across from Sai. "I am pleased that you found my work-"

"Yes, yes, it was very good." He cut him off and then smiled, crossing his legs and leaning back on the white sofa. "Tell me about this nest."

Ludwig nodded and said, "It is like a large bird's nest. A bird from Earth. I think he made it himself from reeds, leaves and branches."

Sai drummed his fingers on the edge of the sofa. "And you said he brought you there, yes?" Ludwig gave a nod. "Was his true intention to mate?" Ludwig's face turn pink and Sai noticed with a smirk of amusement. "There's no need to be shy, Ludwig. Mating and reproduction are a common function in the continuation of a species."

"I must admit that I was not expecting something like that to happen."

"I sense that he may be in heat, as in, it may be mating time on his planet. And the fact that he leaked secretion may indicate that they can self-lube, like a female, but I cannot rule out anything just yet. Do you recall, in any of your studies, some millennium ago when the humans were near extinction?"

Ludwig had to think for a moment. "I believe so. There were very few women left so the human doctors and scientists began to create a race of humans from men to enable them to give birth and help repopulate mankind on Earth. It is a practice rarely tested any more since the humans fixed their population problem, and then became overpopulated."

"Very good, Ludwig. And with these new children born from altered men came more females, thus recreating the human race. Gilbert's race may have been a part of that change. However, I believe Gilbert to be an albino for he has all the signs and coloring of one. This also concludes that he is likely barren, if he were indeed able to bear offspring. I have yet to see any reproductive changes in him, but in my various studies of other species the body can take on the form of male or female, mainly their reproductive organs. But nothing is certain as of yet." Sai smiled sweetly.

Ludwig cleared his throat and said, "May I ask a question, sir?"

"Please do."

"Can't we just capture another of his race and put them together? You'll be able to understand their reproduction better if he had one of his own to mate with. He tried to mate with me and I declined his attempts, obviously."

Sai folded his hands in his lap. "I see your point, Ludwig. However, we happened to catch Gilbert by chance. There was no sign of his race any where else. Yet I have a way of finding out such information with my new invention."

"Invention? What is it, sir?"

"A mind stimulator." He tapped his temple. "I can read Gilbert's thoughts and project them onto a screen. He can show me what his life is like on his planet with his people. It will be just like a movie."

"And what will this prove? Do you simply wish to observe how other species live?"

Sai's features became serious. "You're asking too many questions, soldier. This is not a matter that concerns you."

Ludwig lowered his eyes. "I apologize, sir."

"Now, I do have another job for you." Ludwig lifted his eyes to look at him. "After I use my new device to read his thoughts, I want you to begin reenacting Gilbert's daily life."

"What do you mean?"

"I will pay you quite handsomely for this, I promise you. A young soldier such as yourself always needs money, correct?" Ludwig nodded. "Depending on what I observe in his thoughts, you will act out the way his race does. If it is indeed rutting season on his planet then I will be able to observe it in his thoughts. I will want you to be doing the same. You will act like Gilbert's people with him, since he has shown a great liking to you."

Ludwig stared at him blankly. Sai couldn't be serious? "Sir…I'm a soldier. This…this is beyond my limits. I…I don't think I can do that. It's as if you're asking me to mate with him!"

Sai threw his head back and laughed. "Jumping to conclusions, are we?" He shook his head then. "I don't want you to mate with him, Ludwig. No offspring could come from it because I am certain he is barren. If he does try, then just do it. What harm will it do?"

"It's wrong." Ludwig stated. "We are two different species."

"Cut from the same human mold." Sai answered quickly. "Gilbert IS a human, Ludwig. He is an altered human, yes, but he is STILL a human like you. You can teach him to be a human like you. Don't you think Gilbert will be happier living as a human rather than the primitive life he currently dwells in? Teach him to be a human. You've trained dogs to be almost as smart as humans, so why not train a fellow human the same?"

"You are asking so much of me." Ludwig said honestly. "I'm not very good with emotions, sir. I'm not a people person."

"So you prefer dogs over people?"

"Sometimes." Ludwig answered.

Sai fixed his glasses. "I see. So you treat Gilbert as just another dog? Is that fair to Gilbert? Shouldn't he have a chance at a true human life? Shouldn't he have all the opportunities that real humans have?"

"What if he doesn't want them?"

Sai narrowed his eyes. "He will want them."

"Sir." Ludwig knew he had overstepped his bounds and fell silent.

"I said I will pay you for your duties. You will be making more than the elite galactic generals, all by living alongside an alien human being. It's very easy money. And if you feel worried or concerned about mating, I have many other soldiers that would be excited to have sex with an alien. Do you understand?"

Ludwig stood up and clicked his heels. "Yes sir."

Sai stood up as well. "I want you to be his friend, Ludwig. Let me be the mean one, but he needs to know that there is someone he can trust, someone like you. Gilbert already has taken a shine to you. I can even make it so that Gilbert is the only social interaction you will have besides me. And don't forget the pay."

"I appreciate your hospitality in giving me this chance, sir. I will do as much as I can to the best of my abilities."

"Good. I expect no less. You are dismissed for now. Take some time to visit your dogs and relax while we run our tests. I will call for you when Gilbert is ready to return to his habitat chambers."

"Yes sir. Shall I begin moving my things to the dorms there, sir?"

"Yes, that would be wise. You will be spending most of your days in the area of the ship from here on out." He gave Ludwig a pat on the back. "Expect your first check to be automatically deposited into your military account by tomorrow."

Ludwig saluted. "Thank you, sir."

"You are dismissed."

Ludwig wanted to take one last look at Gilbert but didn't want Sai to know that he harbored feelings of compassion for the tortured alien. So he turned on his heel and quickly exited the lab.

**End Chapter 1 TBC**

*****How's my sci-fi stuff going so far? Feedback is welcomed, especially by those who are more familiar with the genre!*****


	2. Bar Code

*****I want to thank everyone for their support in my first sci-fi fic! I'm glad so many of you are enjoying it! So here is chapter 2! Enjoy!**

*****Warnings: Language, humor, angst, dark themes**

*****Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. I am making no money off of this fic.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Bar Code**

The new dorm room was a little bit bigger than his first room only it looked more like a house with painted walls and a carpet. His old room had metal walls and a hard, cold floor. This would be a nice little change from that old room and, if he wanted to, had some extra space to add other items. He is a minimalist by nature choosing to have only what he needs for he believed in 'less is more'.

Now that the new day had begun, Ludwig used the tablet to log in to his military account to see how much money was deposited. It took a few moments for the data to load with the small hourglass spinning counterclockwise. When the screen appeared, Ludwig felt his eyes widen and his mouth hang open in disbelief. That could not be the correct amount! Something had to be wrong for there is no way Sai would pay him, a lowly soldier, that much money! He blinked and rubbed his eyes numerous times in hopes of seeing the large number disappear yet it remained. This amount is what he would make in a year at his current job of a galaxy soldier. He would ask Sai about the amount for it was in his nature to be honest as well. If there is indeed a mistake, then it was best to let them now so it can be fixed. He closed the tablet shut.

/

"Gilbert!" Ludwig called to the alien, holding in his arms two bags of fruits and a bottle of water. "Food!" There was a rustling in the trees, a sure sign that Gilbert is coming. "Food!" He called again.

The alien hurried down from the tree, wagging his large tail and grinning once he saw Ludwig. His pink eyes noticed the bags of food and his stomach began to growl. With a gurgled sound of delight, he ran over to Ludwig on two legs to pull at the bags.

"No." Ludwig said firmly, pulling the bags away.

Gilbert pouted at him.

"No. Sit." He sat down and crossed his legs. "Sit." He commanded again.

The alien looked down at him with a blank expression before plopping to the ground on his rump. Ludwig pointed to the style of his legs and motioned for Gilbert to do the same. He would not give Gilbert the food until he was sitting properly. Part of this job is to reintroduce human functions. The alien understood him and sat correctly, his tail swaying along the ground behind him. Ludwig opened the first bag to hand Gilbert an orange, which the alien tore into and splashed juice everywhere. Just like yesterday, Gilbert ate both bags of fruit and washed it down with the water, smacking his lips while patting his belly.

'GIIIIIILLLLLLLLrrrbbbbbbrrtrrrrtt!'

"Good." Ludwig smiled at the alien. "I wish you knew how to speak like me. If you did, I think you would become a human much quicker." He noticed Gilbert was scratching behind his neck and appearing to be in distress. "Gilbert?" The alien answered to his name, giving a whine of distress and started to paw at Ludwig. "What is it?"

Gilbert turned his back to Ludwig and pat the back of his neck where a small incision lay with a few stitches holding it together. Ludwig found this to be very strange for stitches are rarely used any more due to advanced laser sealing technology. Stitches were a quick fix if one was alone without medical help nearby. In the glass cage yesterday, he had seen Gilbert heal his wounds but seemed to be unable to heal this one, most likely due to the stitches. The stitches were acting as a foreign item that his body could not read and therefore could not heal. But that was not the only thing Ludwig noticed on Gilbert's body, for on the right shoulder there is a bar code. The black bars were tattooed on his skin, something else his body could not heal. It seemed that Gilbert was asking him to make the wound go away, but he was powerless to do anything about it. There is no way he could communicate with Gilbert to explain it to him.

"Sorry." Ludwig said, tracing the underside of the wound with his finger. Gilbert turned to face him but all he could do was shake his head. "Sorry." Gilbert's shoulders slumped along with his lips. He seemed to deflate right before his eyes. "Sorry." He moved his hand to stroke the white hair, the very soft white hair. It was like silk! The alien seemed to like the stroking for he started to purr, or what sounded like a purr.

Ludwig continued to stroke the silken hair in awe, all the while watching Gilbert slowly lowered himself to the ground, resting his head in his lap. For some reason, Ludwig felt strangely at peace when he was Gilbert. His dogs acted this way sometimes to show their contentment and loyalty. Gilbert clearly is enjoying it, and it was the least he could do after the tortures the poor creature must have been put through yesterday. Then his fingers brushed over something at the base of Gilbert's skull. It did not feel like hair for it was smooth and thick, about the width of his pinkie nail. He fondled the strange strands between his fingers, so engrossed in trying to figure out what they are that he failed to hear Gilbert's purring becoming louder. It wasn't until the white tail raised up to wave in the air that he noticed a change in Gilbert.

"Gilbert?"

The alien leapt from Ludwig's lap onto his haunches and rests both hands on his knees. Ludwig felt the warmth of Gilbert's palms on his knees, leaning back as the alien leaned forward. Now Gilbert's eyes were red; blood red. For a moment, Ludwig feared that whatever he touched on Gilbert's head had triggered a violent reaction in the creature. He tried not to move, staring at Gilbert's mouth for signs of those teeth turning into fangs. Instead, Gilbert's tail started to wag.

'kesssesssee!'

And then Gilbert tackled him. Ludwig quickly rolled out from underneath him, trying to get back on his feet when Gilbert jumped onto his back. He latched his limbs around Ludwig's body like a leech, all the while laughing his alien laugh. Ludwig eventually managed to shake him off, now well prepare for any more attacks. Gilbert got down on all fours, lowered his front like a dog, and wagged his tail. Gilbert represented a dog's playful stance. He wanted to play? Then, Ludwig noticed the arousal between Gilbert's legs as the creature hopped from side to side. Was this some sort of foreplay or mating dance? Did those strange strands on the nape of his neck trigger this reaction? Perhaps those strands connect to the part of the brain that stimulates pleasure and testosterone.

"Gilbert. No." He said firmly. "No."

Ludwig watched Gilbert move into a standing position, eyes still blood red and his tail dancing like a snake back and forth. He could see Gilbert's arousal in full now but he kept his focus on the movements of the alien's body. Gilbert came at him with arms outstretch as if to embrace him. Ludwig threw up his own hands in defense and met Gilbert's, starting a pushing war. Ludwig grit his teeth but Gilbert only grinned, enjoying the battle they had engaged in. Gilbert was strong, but Ludwig exceeded at strength and endurance training, so alien or not, he was going to beat it. Or so he thought. In a flash he flipped through the air, over Gilbert's head, and landed on the ground.

'Kessessseseesse!'

'That's impossible! I must have- ' he spun his leg around to kick Gilbert's out from under him and he succeeded. Gilbert's feet peddled in the air, appearing to be defeated but Ludwig had a hunch the alien was only playing.

As he thought, the alien only pretended to be defeated and hopped back onto his feet. With a smirk and a red-eyed glare, Gilbert held up his hands again in challenge. 'GIIIILLLIIIIIIBBBB' he gurgled towards Ludwig.

Ludwig stood up, dusted his clothing, and started to crack his knuckles. Gilbert is a worthy opponent to match him in strength, but he is still determined to come out the victor. It is important that he maintain dominance over Gilbert or he will lose control of the creature.

They lunged at each other again, hands locked, feet and legs shoving the other. They battled back and forth, digging their heels into the ground with foreheads nearly touching. Red eyes met blue. Neither would back down. At this point it was hard to tell if Gilbert was a dominant or a submissive on his planet for the strength of the alien did not match his lithe form. Or perhaps, whatever he touched in the back of Gilbert's head gave the alien this sudden boost of strength. Ludwig decided to take it up a notch. Using his military training, he spun around and pulled both of Gilbert's hands behind him. He crossed the alien's hands and pressed the wrists against the lower back, arching Gilbert's body forward.

The alien hissed as his shoulders strained against the other's hold. With a loud cry he threw himself forward, using the locked hold Ludwig had on his arms to flip the man up and over his head. Now that he was free, Gilbert tackled the man again, trying to pin the struggling form to the ground. The man kept fighting him but he would not give up!

'I'll not fail!' Ludwig shouted to himself while struggling under the alien's weight. 'I must-' he saw the tip of the tail in his reach! With a mighty grip he grasped a few inches below the tip and squeezed. The alien cried out, trying to pull away but Ludwig continued to hold until the weight was lifted from him. He let go of Gilbert's tail to return to his feet and continue their brawl, a brawl of pure dominance.

Their brawl continued on a few moments longer, a battle of strength and will, until one finally lost. Ludwig had flipped the alien more than once, pinned him, and watched in delight as the tail became still. He could hear Gilbert grumbling beneath him as the creature realized that it had lost. Ludwig removed himself from Gilbert to dust himself off and wipe the sweat from his brow. He watched the alien sit up, cross his arms, and actually pout in defeat. Gilbert was truly pouting! He was annoyed that he had lost. Ludwig was never one to boast even though he knew he was the best at strength and endurance. Now that he had proven his dominance to Gilbert, it was time to regain the alien's trust.

"Gilbert," he walked over to the alien and sat in front of him. The red eyes had gone and now the pink returned. "Good fight."

Gilbert tsked and turned away, straightening his back with a dramatic crossing of his arms. So the alien was a sore loser? This brought a little smile to Ludwig's lips. But then he noticed the stitches and bar code again that maimed the white skin. He was reminded of the terrible experiments Gilbert had to endure at the hands of the scientists. He wondered what the stitches were for. It could be just a minor experiment or they placed something inside of him, like a tracking device. If only he could talk to Gilbert with fluent human speech then he would be able to explain everything to the alien.

"Gilbert."

'GIIiiiiiLLLBBBbbbbbbb.'

When the alien wouldn't look at him, Ludwig sighed and stood up to remove his shirt. The fight left him feeling hot and sticky, which led him to make a mental note about showering early today. Inside of his shirt fluttered bits of dirt and grass as he shook it. He held it up to inspect it closer, hoping that there are no marks or pulls in the material for it would come out of his pay. His very nice pay. In a second, the shirt was gone! His hands were still in the holding position. Blinking, he turned to look at the alien who was sniffing at the shirt. Ludwig watched him silently, curious as to see what the alien would try to do with it.

At first, Gilbert only sniffed it in length and examined the material between his fingers. He nibbled on the material in a few places but stuck his tongue out at the taste. Holding it up as Ludwig did, he looked at the other and then back to the shirt. Gilbert tried to put it on, starting with his head and ended up getting tangled in the arms. He cried out and growled in frustration, thrashing his torso around like a sprinkler.

Ludwig found himself chuckling at the adorable antics. "Let me help." He went over to Gilbert to help untangle the form from flailing limbs. Gilbert eventually stood still as he was released from the confinement of the shirt. However, Gilbert did not want to hand it over, snatching it from Ludwig's grip and holding it to his chest. He snapped his teeth at Ludwig in warning.

"You want it?" Ludwig asked even though he knew the alien couldn't understand.

Gilbert suddenly ran off into the woods with his shirt and Ludwig followed. The alien could move fast through the trees! He figured Gilbert was going to his nest. He saw the hanging nest come into view with a white streak going inside of it. Ludwig looked up at the hole and called to Gilbert. The alien peeked out with a frown, looking down at him only to stick out his tongue. Ludwig rolled his eyes. He thought about going up in the nest again but remembered what happened yesterday and figured it was best to remain out here, on the ground, away from that horny toad up there.

But Ludwig wondered what would happen if he stuck his tongue out at Gilbert. Maybe it was a way of communicating differently on his planet. Childish behavior was far beneath him, but he made sure Gilbert was looking at him when he stuck out his tongue. Gilbert's brows went up in surprise, Ludwig noticed, and he stuck his tongue out again. Gilbert responded by giving a raspberry, so Ludwig did the same. However, Ludwig was unprepared and insulted with the next childish act. Gilbert showed his backside through the entrance. Offended, Ludwig crossed his arms and shouted Gilbert's name. Gilbert's face returned to the entrance with another raspberry.

"Bye!" He spun on his heel and made his way through the woods, leaving the alien's raspberries behind him. When he exited the woods he saw Sai enter the chambers. He quickly clicked his heels and saluted. "Sir!"

Sai looked over at him and raised a brow. "Where is your shirt?"

"Gilbert took it to his nest. He seemed very curious about."

"Hm. I see." Sai nodded. "So, how is our little alien this morning?"

"Very well. He acted normal and ate his breakfast. I have yet to record anything because I only got here about an hour ago."

Sai chuckled and pat Ludwig on the back. "Not to worry. I actually came looking for you. I want to go over some of Hybrid 6900's stats with you. You don't mind, right?"

"Not at all. Let me get a new shirt and-"

"Don't worry about that. We're just going to the conference room on the next floor up. Come along."

Ludwig looked back at the habitat and left with Sai.

/

"Coffee or tea?" Sai offered.

"Tea. Whichever kind you have." He watched the machine pour the tea, waited until it was done and proceeded to get it himself. Sai brought it over to him instead. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. I prefer coffee myself." Sai took the seat adjacent to Ludwig at the table. "So, did you see your paycheck?"

Ludwig blew on his tea. "I did, but I think there may have been a mistake."

Sai flashed him a smirk. "No mistake. The amount you saw is correct. Every three weeks that amount is yours for your service to us."

"I really think it is too much for what I do. Your science teams does all the real work." 'Torture work, really.'

"Ludwig, don't be so selfless! I'm paying you that amount because I feel that is what you deserve. You're a lonely soul here on the Quasar and with a little more pocket money you can join the others in their 'reindeer' games." He chuckled.

Ludwig gave him a curious look. "I don't have to buy friends. I choose to mind my own business and keep to myself because I want to."

"Ah, Ludwig, being lonely is not a wise choice. You should consider getting out there more, hanging out friends, and enjoying your life. You have the money to buy yourself something nice now. Surely you've been to the Quasar's shopping district?" Ludwig nodded. "So treat yourself to something! Don't be such a stick in the mud! We should all enjoy our lives to the fullest before it's gone."

Ludwig didn't like where this conversation was leading so he changed the subject, moving onto the topic of Gilbert. "Sir, did you get to examine Hybrid 6900's thoughts yesterday? Did anything come of it? I would like to know how best to interact with Gilbert."

"Straight to business then." He sipped his coffee with a pleasured sigh. "Yes, we did view his mind. He showed us some very interesting images of his home. To keep it simple, his race acts like primitive man, going back to small tribes, clans or packs with one alpha. There are more females than males in a tribe. All of the young males remain in their own minor clan until they reach sexual maturity, moving on to compete for the right to mate with females of other tribes. Sometimes the males are wanted for mating by the alpha and the tribe alpha sort of…has a harem, I should say, of young males. We are not quite certain if the alphas keep the males for sexual pleasure or as a sign of power. It could be that some of the males are able to bear offspring, as we thought, so the alphas may seek out or keep those males for himself. And females seem to be highly valued, more so than the breeding males."

Ludwig had almost finished all of his tea. "So did you see Gilbert himself in these images?"

"Yes, now, this is where it gets interesting. Gilbert, we believe, is one of the more intelligent ones on the planet. Not only is he albino, but he has a rather high I.Q. as well. He seems to be more of a rebel because of his intelligence. He seems simple to us now because he is curious, he's trying to figure things out for himself. The further we interact with him, the more we will see just how intelligent he is. For example, he refuses to be with any alpha, female or male."

"Why?"

"Ah, now we get to the dark part." Sai removed his glasses to clean the lenses on his lab coat. "This is where the species' intelligence has dropped, moving them further away from their human prototype. Once the female is mated and impregnated, her mate becomes a long term meal to sustain the fetus inside. She eats her lover."

Ludwig almost felt his tea repeat on him at the image of a human-like woman eating the body of her mate.

"We think this is why the alpha male keeps a harem of other males, just in case too many men become meals. But Gilbert is different. We think he understands that what they do is wrong, the eating of the mate, I mean. He doesn't want to be eaten. He knows that it's wrong and he doesn't want to die. He doesn't feel that obligation, nor will he do it willingly. It is possible that the other breeding males do the same to their mate, if their mate is not an alpha. They are a very hyperactive mating species, but with Gilbert's intelligence, he may already notice this about his kind. This could also be the reason he tried to mate with you."

"Really?"

"There's no doubt that his body and brain still reads the signals to reproduce like the others, only we believe he knows how to control it. He recognizes that you are not of his kind so he may feel safe with you, safe enough where he can mate but not have to worry about any consequences. Since he is barren, this may be another reason why he chooses not to mate because their may be danger for those who cannot breed. So, do consider it for us?"

Ludwig dropped his teacup on the table, shocked by the blunt statement of mating. "I…I can't do that, sir. I have no physical attraction to the alien."

"Oh, I beg to differ." Sai straightened his glasses again. "You show an interest in him. Gilbert is a loner as well, just like you. He didn't seem very popular in his tribe. You prefer animals, mainly dogs, over people and Gilbert is like a dog. There is a bond you share with Gilbert but you're too frightened to pursue it. My team and I do not judge."

"I don't want to pursue it!" Ludwig almost shouted. "I do not want to become a part of this experiment in a physical form. I want to reintroduce human qualities in Gilbert, not mate with him. I don't even see how mating has to do with anything."

Sai smirked. "Then you wouldn't mind if I assigned another to do the mating part with Gilbert?"

"Another human, you mean?"

"Yes. Would you mind?"

Ludwig stared intently at him. "Gilbert will not accept another human male. You put a new man in there, he may attack."

"Oh? And what makes you say this? Are you just saying that because you harbor feelings for the alien?"

"It's more common compassion for another living being than romantic feelings. Gilbert has become very attached to me and I think if you let another man in there, he will view him as a threat and attack. I really have no evidence to back up my theory…but that is what I feel. That's the hunch I have."

Sai only shook his head. "You're cute, Ludwig, but you do not run this mission. I will assign another to perform this part of the experiment. If you do not wish to see or witness it, you are welcomed to take off the day."

"No. I should be there…in case my theory is true."

"Are you a pervert, then?" Sai grinned at Ludwig's horrified expression.

"NO!" Ludwig shouted. "I'm not going to watch them! I just want to be nearby in case Gilbert attacks. I want to save another human life!"

Sai enjoyed playing with Ludwig like this and he was certain that a whole new topic to add to his experiment will emerge shortly. There is a good chance that Ludwig will fall for the alien, if he hasn't already. "Very well. I have someone who already accepted the job because I knew you would say 'no' to this. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate how well you are caring for our alien friend. I was only teasing you before, Ludwig. Lighten up."

Ludwig wasn't amused, nor did he like the idea of another man coming into the equation. He stared down into his empty teacup, wondering why the news of someone else mating with Gilbert bothered him. It could be that he felt it was an insult to Gilbert, like they were forcing him to mate with someone he may not want to mate with. There is a chance, however, that Gilbert will accept the other man if the urge to mate in him is strong. But, there is also a strong chance that Gilbert will kill the other man. Knowing about the after-mating killing, Ludwig could clearly see Gilbert killing his mate. Gilbert wouldn't kill him though, would he? A sadistic part in his sub-conscience reasoned with the theory of using the other man as a pawn to know how Gilbert will react. So if he ever did feel the urge to sleep with Gilbert, he would already know what the aftermath would entail, at the expense of another's life. He dismissed those thoughts.

"My job is to reintroduce proper human functions to Hybrid 6900. That is what I intend to do, sir."

Sai shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough. You've made your point quite clear, Ludwig. Continue reintroducing human functions then."

"Thank you, sir."

"You are dismissed."

/

'This is ridiculous.' Ludwig thought to himself as the hot water cascaded over him. He slicked back his damp hair. 'Something is not right with this experiment. If anyone is a pervert, it's Professor Sai.'

Ludwig didn't like how Sai attacked him for his 'loneliness'. He found it very odd that the professor would even care about that for it seemed like such a minor matter in this experiment. He kept to himself because he wanted to. It was easier to keep people away for he had learned, all too well and much too early, what it was like to lose someone you care about.

When he was a young boy he had always been alone on the streets of Neo-Germany until a kind being took him in. The being was of alien and human decent that operated an orphanage for humans and aliens alike. They had no gender, so all of the children referred to them as 'Friend'. But the day after his eleventh birthday, a group of thieves attacked the orphanage. Friend tried to protect them but the thieves ended their life. Ludwig had wanted to protect them but he was too small and too frightened to fight back, so on instinct, he hid instead. The thieves killed all the other children, leaving their small bleeding bodies spread out across the floor. The thieves took everything they could carry, and once they had left, Ludwig emerged from his hiding place. Alone, scared, and heartbroken, he sat for hours on the floor among the carnage until the Space and Earth patrol found him after hearing about the attack. He couldn't remember much after that for he must have been in shock.

He struggled to survive living on the streets, fighting his way through the years until he was able to join the Space Academy. It was the only way he could make a living for himself and protect others from terrible fates.

'Protect others.' He repeated. 'I have to protect Gilbert from Sai and all his experiments…but…' he slammed his fist on the shower tile. 'I can't lose my place here! I just can't! I took a sworn oath, a strong vow! I will never survive the universe without being a part of the space military! But I hate myself for being so selfish.'

With the conflicting emotions battling inside of him, Ludwig rest against the shower wall and let the water pummel his body.

/

The man who was to 'mate' Gilbert entered into the wooded area. Ludwig stood by the door inside the habitat, his arms crossed over his chest, and his foot tapping anxiously. He loathed the look of the man when he saw him, a brawny brute with more muscle than brain and most likely penis envy. The man had something to prove, or he was just a pervert who liked to stick it anywhere that was available. Ludwig wanted to chase the man away from Gilbert because he knew this was wrong; not only wrong but unethical and insulting to Gilbert. There was much more to this experiment that the science board was not letting on. They have to know something about Gilbert and they're not telling him. If only he was able to speak to Gilbert in full human language then maybe he could spare everyone all this trouble. In his true opinion, Gilbert did not belong here on the Quasar 575. He belonged on his home planet, with his people, living the life that is meant for him.

Suddenly, the man let out a bellowing scream from inside the woods. Ludwig raced after the trail of screams, hearing them growing louder as he got closer. He saw Gilbert's nest coming into view first, and then Gilbert, and then the man. Ludwig stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes widened at the sight of the man writhing in pain on the forest ground. The man must have undressed before approaching Gilbert because he was naked. But that is not what alarmed Ludwig the most. Each vein beneath the man's skin bulged out in a dark green color, swelling rapidly as if they would break the surface. The man was writhing and screaming in agony, begging for help to end the pain. Ludwig was struck dumb with shock for the sight was grizzly, unlike anything he had ever seen during training or battle. What could he do? He was unarmed with basic medical training, however, this was beyond anything he could do anyway. All he could do was watch the man fall still after an agonizing struggle of whatever was in his body. That was when Ludwig lifted his eyes to gaze at Gilbert.

The alien stepped away from the body to move behind a tree, hiding himself from Ludwig's look. He peeked around the base of the tree at Ludwig before retreating to the hanging nest.

'What just happened?' Ludwig asked himself while his eyes were now glued to the green-striped body.

/

"How did he die?" Ludwig asked Sai once the man was taken care of and they were in the conference room.

Sai allowed himself more coffee before answering. "Poison."

"Poison? How? From a bite or a scratch?" Ludwig didn't think Gilbert was capable of poison, but he supposed it was possible. "Are you sure?"

Sai nodded. "We've done many blood tests on Gilbert to know that he carries a poison gland within his body. Are you familiar with women's bodies, Ludwig?"

Ludwig felt himself growing uncomfortable. "I've studied the human body, both male, female. What does this have to do with anything?" 'Who's the real pervert here.' He had to keep a straight, stern face to keep his look of disdain from showing.

"We've already discussed that throughout human development that mankind needed more women and men took on the role until the female population was back. Do you follow so far?" Ludwig gave a nod. "Well, part of this change in the human body all those thousands of years ago with experiments came other body mutations, mainly in the female reproductive system. The men who took on the role can have this too. The most basic and generic term for it is 'rape poison', but in short it is a way for females to escape unwanted penetration. In other words, their brain recognizes the threat and the poison is released, killing the one who was unfortunate enough to try. Not all females have this, nor do all the males. We think that whatever group Gilbert's race escape with had many of these females and males, so as evolution and reproduction continued, the poison gland remained. In this poor fellow's case, he tried to penetrate Gilbert, Gilbert released the poison, and you know the rest."

Ludwig had a hard time taking all this in but he had to act like he understood. He would remember learning about the poison gland because it was so bizarre but he must have never learned about it. Throughout his schooling, he usually stayed away from all the reproductive studies. "So you already knew about this poison gland and you still sent someone in to try and mate with him? What if I had chosen to do it? Would you have let me die too?"

"It was a chance we took. I gambled on the notion that you wouldn't do it, and if you wanted to, of course I would warn you about it." Said answered. "There was a very strong chance nothing would happen. We told the man of the possible consequences that could come with this but he didn't care and signed the contract. He had his fair warning. It was his decision so erase this event from your conscience. Do you have an issue with that, Ludwig?"

"No sir. What's done is done. He made his choice." He did not agree with it, but it was best not to say anything else. "So when he tried to mate with me in the hanging nest…that was-"

"Not poison." Sai smiled. "That was the good stuff. That was Gilbert saying 'yes'. I guess he won't have any male other than you."

He had had enough. Ludwig stood up from the table, hitting it with his knees and rattling the coffee cup resting there. "Do not force me to have sex with Gilbert. I have terms of my own, Professor! Allow me to continue what I'm doing with Gilbert and, if and when the need to 'mate' strikes, then I will…perform. I will not do so until I feel the time is right."

Sai put his hands up with a crooked smile. "Whoa, at ease, soldier! There's no need to fly off the deep end, Ludwig. I accept your terms, in fact, I even admire them." He stroked his chin. "I just find it so…bizarre that you, a young, strong, healthy man isn't on the prowl for tail, if I may be blunt."

"Actually sir, I beg your pardon but I would…appreciate it if you were not so blunt on these matters. I was raised and trained to always be respectful and maintain a professional appearance at all times. I accept if you find this humorous." He saluted, and all Sai did was laugh.

"So gentlemen still exist, eh?" He gave a snort of laughter. "You're an experiment within yourself, Ludwig. You would be a prize for any man or woman."

"Thank you?" Ludwig wasn't sure how to reply to a statement like that.

"Hmm…very well then. I accept your terms. It may even work out better in helping Gilbert learn human ways. You are quite astounding, Ludwig. I made the right choice in choosing you. You are dismissed. Remember your report."

Ludwig saluted. "Yes sir. Thank you, sir."

"Yes, yes." Sai answered plainly.

/

He sat in bed with the tablet out, writing down his data for the day. He put in about the strange strands at the base of Gilbert's neck and what they did. But he figured, in some skeptical way, that Sai and his team already knew everything that he is recording. Ludwig couldn't help but think there is something even bigger going on and he was just a pawn; a pawn with a healthy paycheck. When finished, he sent the file and closed the tablet.

"I fear I will pay for my selfishness some day." He said out loud to himself while gazing at the ceiling and thinking of Gilbert. 'Gilbert…Hybrid 6900…'

Although it was evening on the ship and in the habitat chamber, Ludwig got dressed and went there anyway. As he entered, he looked up at the hologram ceiling of two moons and stars. The 'sky' is a deep purple and the 'stars' sparkle white. The moons are faded in the 'distance'. There was enough artificial moonlight for him to see where he was going, even though he had no particular destination other than to see Gilbert.

"Gilbert?" He called out to the woods. "Gilbert!" Ludwig was startled by a pair of glowing red eyes at the mouth of the woods before Gilbert's form appeared. He let out a breath of relief to know that it was only Gilbert and that his eyes returned to their normal hue of pink. "Good evening." The alien's body seemed to glow faintly in the light of the artificial moon, like a spiritual being from a fairytale or a myth. He looked too good to be real.

"Gudlug." Gilbert spoke a word.

" 'Gudlug'?" Ludwig repeated.

Gilbert pointed to him. "Gudlug."

"Me?" Ludwig realized now that Gilbert was trying to say his name. "Gudlug! Yes! Lud-wig. LUD."

"GUD!"

"LUD." He showed the tip of his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "LUD."

Gilbert mimicked the position of the tongue and tried again. "GLUD!"

Ludwig sighed. Perhaps the length and girth of Gilbert's tongue prevented flexibility to pronounce certain sounds. But he could pronounce the 'l' sound in 'Gudlug'.

"Watch." He positioned his tongue again. "LLLLLLLLLUD."

Gilbert tilted his head but tried again, taking a deep breath and positioning his tongue. "LLLLLLLLLLUG!"

"Yes! Again! Lud! LUD!"

"LLLLUD! LLLUD….LLUD…"

"LUD."

"LUD! LUDGUG!"

Ludwig thought that was enough for the evening. He didn't expect to get this far so quickly! Tomorrow they would work on the 'wig' part of his name. At this point, Ludwig wished that he knew sign language for it could have been easier to communicate with Gilbert through signing. Gilbert also needed more activity, so Ludwig thought he could borrow some items from the gym and teach Gilbert how to play some basic games. He knew the game that Gilbert wanted to play, but he wasn't ready for _that_. The image of the poisoned man came to mind and he was reminded of what power Gilbert held within his body. He had to shake the image of the dying man from his mind. There was no sense in harboring on it.

"Ludgug," Gilbert took his hand, pointing to the forest and giving a gentle tug.

"You want me to go with you?" He also pointed to the forest and Gilbert nodded happily. "Okay." Ludwig let himself be led.

Inside the nest, Ludwig found his shirt hanging on a stray piece of reed. He tried to reach for it but Gilbert pulled him away. Ludwig decided that it was time to give up the shirt and leave it for Gilbert. He wasn't sure what to expect in the nest this time so he sat quietly, watching Gilbert push around some blankets among a pile of cotton wads and leaves. That must be his bed, Ludwig figured. The scientists must have given Gilbert some blankets to use, or else they were just pieces of cloth. Gilbert should be in a human bed, not a nest made of cloth and leaves.

"Ludgug! Giiillllllllbbbr." The alien pat the spot beside him on the 'bed'.

"No." Ludwig shook his head. He pointed to his spot. "Stay."

Pink eyes narrowed slightly. 'Gillllbbbbbbbrrrt.' Gilbert crawled over to Ludwig instead and sat before him. He smiled at the man, seeing the other smile back. His tail wagged with glee. With a grin he brought his hands to the front of Ludwig's pants only to be stopped by the other's hand.

"No."

'Nu?'

"No."

"No." Gilbert repeated perfectly.

"Good." Ludwig replied. He was pleased with how well Gilbert is using language but in his refusal he could see the alien's disappointment. Gilbert's expression turned mournful with his pink eyes fading to a pale pinkish gray. Ludwig remembered what Sai had said about Gilbert being like him, a loner, and not well liked among others. His refusal may have reminded Gilbert of the feelings of being pushed away. Maybe no one wanted to mate with him back on his planet. Ludwig couldn't bear to see Gilbert looking so forlorn and sad after all that he's been through. It wasn't like him to feel so emotional but he did have an idea. It wasn't 'mating', but it was a basic human show of affection.

"Gilbert." Gilbert looked at him.

Licking his lips in a nervous gesture, he gently cupped Gilbert's chin to bring the sadden face in for a kiss. Their lips touched for a short moment and then Ludwig pulled away, feeling embarrassed even though he shouldn't. When he looked at Gilbert, he saw that the sadden expression turned to one of bewilderment and he feared Gilbert did not like the kiss. But then Gilbert gave a little smile, bringing a hand up to touch his own lips. Ludwig barely had time to prepare himself for the next kiss that came his way. Gilbert pressed their lips together with a small moan, settling himself onto Ludwig's lap. It was pleasurable until the alien tongue tried to push past his lips so Ludwig broke the kiss immediately.

"No. No tongue."

"Ludgug!" Gilbert said with a pout.

"Just kiss." Ludwig brought their lips together once again to show him the word 'kiss'. "Kiss." He said again.

Gilbert just nodded and kept kissing Ludwig the way he was shown. However, he couldn't stop himself from this 'kissing' and decided he wanted to kiss more than Ludwig's lips, if Ludwig would allow. He started kissing Ludwig's face all over.

Ludwig just sighed and remained still as Gilbert showered him with kisses. The alien sucked on his ears, his hair, and even the tip of his nose. Apparently Gilbert liked kissing a lot and all the alien saliva cooling on his face showed it. However, Ludwig didn't mind it at all. In fact, he was enjoying Gilbert's kisses and affections. He couldn't figured out why but he liked being in Gilbert's company. Even though they couldn't verbally communicate well they seemed to share a bond of understanding. Gilbert is an intelligent alien.

"Ludgug." He took Ludwig's hand and pulled him towards the bed. 'GilllBBBRRRttttT.'

"Um…" Ludwig feared that if he went to the nesting bed Gilbert would take it as a sign to want to mate. "No." He answered.

Gilbert pouted and went over to the bed, pointing to Ludwig and then making a sleeping motion.

Ludwig's eyes widened. He was communicating! Gilbert was learning motions! "Sleep." This would work. He would say the words when Gilbert acted it out.

"Geep." Gilbert tried to say 'sleep'.

"Yes. Sleep." Without a care, Ludwig joined the alien in the bed of cloth and cotton and leaves. He pressed his back against the nest wall while Gilbert, like a cat, curled up against him. He felt the tail twirl around his legs and he put a hand around Gilbert's waist. "Sleep."

"Geep. Ludgug."

"Yes." Ludwig smiled, resting his nose in the silken hair and closed his eyes. For the first time in so long, he was happy.

/

"GOOD MORNING UP THERE!" Came the sing-song voice of Professor Sai.

Ludwig's eyes shot open and he sat up in the bed, startling Gilbert awake as well. "Oh no…I fell asleep! It's morning!"

"HELLOOOOOOOO!"

Gilbert growled, going over to the mouth of the nest to hiss down at Sai.

"Good morning Gilbert! Ludwig, are you up?" Sai called up with a teasing tone.

Ludwig pushed Gilbert out of the way to look down at the grinning, obnoxious face of Professor Sai. "YES! I'm coming down right now! One moment, sir!" Without saying 'goodbye' to Gilbert, Ludwig quickly climbed (or rather fell) out of the nest.

"Ooo, hard landing." Sai joked.

"Ouch." He hissed, rubbing his lower back. "I'm sorry, sir!" He quickly stood at attention with a salute. "Research, sir."

Sai raised a dark brow. "Research indeed. My colleagues and I," he pointed to the two large men with him. "are here to take Gilbert for his testing. Oh Gilbert, come down from there."

Gilbert hissed.

"Gilbert," Sai's tone became low and harsh, a warning tone. "Come down." He took out a small remote and pointed it at the hanging nest.

Ludwig heard Gilbert's gasp and looked up at the nest to see the alien trembling, but he still wouldn't come out. Sai pressed the button on the remote and Gilbert began to scream in pain.

"STOP IT!" Ludwig shouted. "YOU'RE HURTING HIM!"

"Not hurting, training!" Sai lowered the remote and Gilbert's screaming stopped. "Think of it as a shock collar. You use those on your dogs, don't you?"

Ludwig gave him a sharp look. "Never. I never used shock collars on my dogs. I never had to."

Sai rolled his eyes. "Pity. Oh look, here he comes, like a good boy."

Gilbert jumped from the nest and used the thin skin under his arms to soften his landing. This was the first time Ludwig had seen him glide with his 'wings'.

"Let's go." He snapped his fingers at Gilbert. Instead of following him, Gilbert rushed to Ludwig's side and clung to his arm. "Oh, I see." Sai smirked.

Ludwig gulped. This wasn't good. Gilbert was seeking his protection…protection that he could not give. He could not deny orders or he would lose everything he's worked for, even Gilbert.

"Gilbert, come!" Sai threatened him by pointing the remote towards him.

Gilbert cringed and looked up at Ludwig. "Ludgug! No!"

Ludwig's heart broke instantly. He was unable to do anything to help Gilbert, and he had no words to make Gilbert understand.

"Now!" Sai pressed the button and Gilbert fell from Ludwig's arm, writing and screaming in pain.

Ludwig kept his eyes upwards, unable to look at the scene going on at his feet in fear of retaliating. 'I'll lose everything!'

When the screaming stopped, Ludwig took the chance and looked down at Gilbert, who, with a face of sadness and betrayal, whimpered up at him.

"Ludgug!" The two men pulled him away. Gilbert tried to reach for Ludwig calling, "LUDGUG! LUDGUG NO! LUDGUG!"

Ludwig tried not to look at Gilbert's retreating figure, or at Sai's face as the professor started talking to him.

"You've seen the stitches on his neck, correct? That's where the shock piece is to this little baby." He tapped the remote. "It controls Gilbert, as you can see." Sai tapped him on the shoulder. "He really cares for you, that much is obvious. You care for him. Do you see him as just one of your dogs?"

"I'm just…doing my duty, sir. That is all." He kept his tone slow and even.

Sai clicked his tongue. "We'll have Gilbert all day, so take a break and relax. Get your bearings together. Go shopping. Go have a drink. Take a day off or you'll kill yourself at this rate." Sai left without another word to Ludwig.

Ludwig just stood there, fists clenched at his sides and his teeth grinding together. He was so frustrated! The look on Gilbert's face when he did nothing to protect him would haunt him forever. Maybe he should take his troubles to the bar for a bit and use the beer to fog his mind for he knew there would be no rest for him, not with that look of betrayal haunting him.

"Please forgive me, Gilbert."

**End Chapter 2 TBC**


	3. Alterations

*****Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update. It's been a crazy week! This chapter is a bit shorter than the other ones, so please just bear with me! Thanks for the support!**

*****Warnings: Language, dark themes**

*****Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. I am making no money off of this fic**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Alterations **

'_**I'm home again!' **_

_**Gilbert hurried through the flowered fields towards the glen where his tribe was eagerly awaiting him. His face was alight with joy and relief to see them all again, waiting for him, with waves and wagging tails. Now that he was home safe, away from that terrible place, he could be happy. Everyone greeted him with hugs, licks, and kisses. His nest was waiting for him, fresh meat and fruits were his welcome home treats, and the tribe leader acknowledged him fondly. **_

_Only it had been a dream._

_He woke up in a cold, stale room of white walls and ceiling while strapped to a flat surface, something they called a 'table'. He pulled at his binds, finding his wrists, ankles, neck and chest were all strapped to the table. He could feel some pinching on his temples and forehead, more of those round little dots with colored vines attached to them. These dots usually caused him pain but for now they were only itching his skin. _

_These men, these humans, took pleasure in making him hurt and feel pain. He couldn't understand just what they wanted with him for their language was peculiar and unique. They wore strange things to cover their bodies, wore odd things over their eyes, and had no tails. These humans, he knew that's what they were due to their frequent communication, meant to do him and his people harm. He should have never gotten so close to them when they arrived on his planet. He had wanted to protect his people, to warn them of these strange creatures who looked a bit like them but weren't them. Instead of getting to his tribe, he was caught with bright colors from loud objects in their arms and strange webbing to tangle his limbs. _

_His tribe and his pride are the reasons why he is strapped to this table right now undergoing pain and humiliation. That dream he just had was only wishful thinking on his part. His tribe had always feared him due to his odd coloring of pale white skin, white hair and pink eyes. When he was born his mother had abandoned him to die but he was saved by another female in the tribe who raised him as her own. After she died when he was young there was little option left for family so he had to defend for himself. Unlike the others, he knew that he was different, not only in coloring but in thinking as well. The first time he understood this was when he showed the tribe elder how to arrange the males and females by groups of equal numbers. The elder recognized his display as something bad and he was attacked for it. _

_When he grew into a young male of mating age he knew himself to be barren and that no females or males would want him. He tried, many times, to appeal to females but they would chase him off or attack him. The tribe leader wanted nothing to do with him, nor did the other males. They only allowed him to stay with the clan out of respect to his adoptive mother. His real mother, who still lived, never paid him any mind. He was alone in the tribe, without friend or mate. Even though his body gave off the scent for mating their hatred for him overrode their needs. No one wanted him._

_But Ludwig did, the strange and funny yellow haired human who fed him food and 'kissed' him. This Ludwig was a different kind of human male, he was nice. He was kind and understanding for he did not care about pink eyes and white hair. Ludwig treated him like he was just another being, the same as him. He really cared for Ludwig and smiled at the thought of the tender man. _

_He did not hate Ludwig for standing there as he was taken away by these humans in white. He saw that Ludwig was a submissive to these humans so that is the reason why he could not interfere. He did not understand how these humans conducted their people or their lives, so he had to try and find an explanation himself. Ludwig was a good human, a human that he wanted to mate despite their different races. Ludwig, a human, understood him more than his own kind did back home. _

"Hello Gilbert."

'_They call me 'Gilbert'…that is not my name.' He said to himself, recognizing the voice of the alpha male human. He turned to look at the smug man._

"How are we feeling? Did we have a nice sleep?"

'_Sleep. I know that word.' All he did was grit his teeth at the man. _

"I see."

_He saw him take the little black object out and he started to panic, fearing the pain that came when the red dot was pushed. Immediately he turned straight faced so as to not threaten the alpha human. _

"We're going to do a little bit of cutting today."

'_Cutting? I don't understand him! What is cutting?' He saw more people dressed just like the alpha come in with a 'table' of sharp things. They looked like hunting blades but they weren't. Did cutting mean to open his skin? Like a wound? His pink eyes widened. 'No more pain!'_

"Don't worry, Gilbert, you'll be sleeping for all of this."

'_Sleep? They are going to put that clear liquid in me that makes me close my eyes.' And the alpha human did just that. 'No…don't sleep.' He told himself while trying to force his eyes to remain open. There was no use in fighting for the liquid was too strong and he let the darkness take over. _

_He never felt a thing, until he woke up. _

'_Mmm…what happened?' _

_He was in a strange white room again, this one with soft walls and floor. There was a strange ache throughout his whole body, meaning the humans did something to him again. Something about 'cutting'. When he tried to push himself up with his arms a wave of pain burst through the limbs that ripped a cry from his throat. He tried to use his tail to help lift him only to find that it wasn't responding. When trying to move his feet he was met with the same type of lightening pain through them reaching all the way up to his tail. _

'_What's wrong with my body?'_

_Ignoring the pain in his right arm, he reached behind him to feel for his tail. Instead, he found a covered stump where tail should be. Slowly, his eyes widened to saucers as he began to realize just what the humans had done to him. Calmly, he forced himself into a seated position and looked over his body. Not only was his tail missing but his feet were different- on each foot his three talons were pressed together and held by thick black vines, just like the ones in his neck. However, the talons were missing. The pain in his arms had him noticing that the thin layer of skin there that helps him to glide through the trees was removed. A thin dark red line with more black vines remained where the skin was cut from his arms. The humans had cut off his tail, his skin, and stuck his toes together. _

_It was then that the full account of what has been done to him struck his brain- and he screamed._

/

Ludwig sipped lazily at his third glass of beer, still seated at the noisy bar but it was all silent to him. He kept thinking about Gilbert and how the alien reached for him, seeking his protection yet did not receive it. He hated himself for this. Getting drunk was not the best option but at this point he needed to feel a bit buzzed, at least to keep some of his mind numb. He needed a change of scenery. He paid for his beers and left the bar, heading down to the kennels.

The dogs were eager to see him. When he entered the main kennel play area they all came running to him with tails wagging and mouths barking. They helped to bring a smile to his face, especially when he knelt on the floor to greet them too. His face was showered in warm tongues and wet noses sniffing him. He laughed when the number of dogs forced him onto his back where he was dog piled on- literally. With one loud whistle the dogs moved away to sit dutifully, waiting for his command.

"Stand." Ludwig said the command, which was 'beg', but he liked using 'stand' better. The dogs all obeyed. He counted them, six in total, but one was missing. "Where's Nebula?"

"Ludwig," it was the kennel keeper, Louis. "haven't seen you here in awhile."

"Hello Louis. Where is Nebula? I don't see her here."

Louis gave a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose before rubbing the back of his neck. "She was taken away on a mission. Some galactic soldiers came and took her."

"Why wasn't I informed?" Ludwig asked harshly.

"I'm sorry, Ludwig. I didn't expect you to be gone for so long or I would have told you."

Ludwig grit his teeth. "She was not ready for a space mission!"

"I'm sorry again." Louis said. "It wasn't my place to tell them 'no'. I'm just the kennel keeper!"

"You're right. It was wrong of me to snap at you. I'm sorry, Louis. I've had…a job change and it is…well…I have different duties and hours now. It's hard to get here to the kennels."

"What job?"

Ludwig shook his head. "I'd rather not say. But how have the dogs been? Are they eating well?"

"Oh, yes! No changes here!" Louis grinned. "They've missed you, though. They howl sometimes, staring at the door and waiting for you to come.

Ludwig smiled at them, looking at all their wagging tails and eager expressions. "I've missed them too. I'll try to get down here more often. But I should be getting back. Keep up the good work, Louis." He gave each of the dogs a few scratches behind the ears and pats on the head, hearing their sad whining for him as he left. He had another pet to get back to that needed his attention more.

/

"Gilbert!" Ludwig called from the door as he entered the habitat. "Gilbert! Food!"

When Gilbert didn't come, Ludwig put the bag of fruit down by his feet and waited, searching the trees for signs of movement. After ten minutes had passed, Ludwig assumed that Gilbert was sleeping in his nest for the experiments would have exhausted him. Taking the food, Ludwig made his way to the nest only to find that a ladder had been placed leading up to the entrance hole. Confused, Ludwig tapped the ladder and wondered what it was here for. Gilbert just climbed the tree to enter. Did something happen?

"Gilbert!" He called again. "It's Ludwig! Ludgug. Gilbert!" A small, weakened voice like sound of a wounded animal came from inside the nest. "Oh no!" Forgetting about the food, Ludwig climbed the ladder and crawled inside the nest. "Gilbert!" A sad pair of red-rimmed pink eyes looked at him.

Ludwig's eyes slowly widened as he took in the bloodied sight of Gilbert. The alien had bandages around his feet, under his arms, and around his waist all spotted with blood that started to leak through.

"Ludgug…" Gilbert reached his arms out to him. "Ludgug!"

Ludwig crawled to Gilbert's side and embraced him, paying special attention to not touch the wounds covering his body. He looked down Gilbert's back and saw that his tail was also missing, bandaged with a large bloodspot where it used to be. "What did they do to you?"

He left and came back with a medical first-aid kit to treat Gilbert's wounds. Though he was relieved that Gilbert didn't hate him for earlier he still did not like to see the condition his alien was in. He started at the feet, taking the left heel in his palm and gently lifting it to cut away the old bandages. When the soiled bandages unraveled in a heap to the floor he took in the grotesque sight of Gilbert's twisted feet. The once three bird-like toes had been stitched together and the same was done for the right foot. The bones had been broken as well to shape the foot with full removal of the talons. Ludwig pondered on the reasoning for this as he applied topical ointment to the stitches. Why would they sew his feet like this? He finished bandaging the feet and then moved to the arms.

'They cut the skin off…but why?' He applied the ointment and new bandage. 'And his tail. Why would they cut it off?' As he continued to bandage the alien he couldn't help but noticed how much Gilbert looked like a human now. That's when it occurred to him. 'That's it! They're trying to make him look like a human! But why? It makes no sense.'

"Ludgug?"

"Yes?"

Red rimmed eyes gazed at him. "Kiss?"

"Yes." Ludwig pressed their lips together in a gentle kiss.

'GillLLLLbrrrrrt.' The alien leaned into him, wanting to be held.

Ludwig held him for a few moments before bringing him over to the bed and helping him to lay comfortably. He took one of the blankets and covered Gilbert's body, wanting to keep the alien warm but also to avert his eyes from the terrible wounds. Gilbert continued to look up at him with those red rimmed eyes, a sign of crying, and the alien had every right to cry. Most of his unique alien features had been taken from him and by the looks of the wounds, the features would not grow back. The tail, though lizard-like, didn't seem to regenerate. The alien was maimed, probably for life, and all in the name of science. Since when did science start trumping humanity? The sight of Gilbert's maimed body like this had him seething with anger and he feared that if he saw Sai right now he would be unable hold back his words.

"You need to eat." He said softly. "Keep up your strength. I'll be right back." When he went to the mouth of the nest Gilbert called to him with a sweet little sound like that of a kitten. "Don't worry. I'll be right back. Food." He pointed down. "Food."

With the fruit now in his hand, Ludwig climbed the ladder to reenter the nest. Gilbert settled back into the bed once Ludwig showed him the fruit. Sitting beside the alien, he took out an apple and held it to Gilbert's mouth but he wouldn't take a bite. Gilbert turned his head away from the fruit.

"Food." Ludwig tried again but the alien still would not bite. So he tried some grapes next and still Gilbert refused. "You need food."

"Ludgug, no." Gilbert answered him. "Food. No."

Ludwig wanted to be pleased with Gilbert's slowly expanding vocabulary but at the moment he was focused on the alien's pain and depression. In a way, he started to feel that he was responsible for all that has happened to Gilbert too. After all, he is taking data on the alien, caring for him, and reporting back to Gilbert's tormentor. They wanted him to teach Gilbert how to think and act like a human while they are altering the alien's body to make him _look_ like a human.

"Gilbert, please eat. Food." He started to peel an orange. "Food. Eat." Gilbert turned his face away from the offered piece of orange. Ludwig sighed. 'He has good reason to be depressed. He understands what was taken away from him. If only I could understand him further…then I could help him ease the depression.'

"Ludgug? Sleep."

"You want to sleep?" Ludwig asked him. "Sleep?" The alien nodded. "You sleep. Rest." He pulled the blanket over Gilbert's shoulder and ran his hand through the silky hair. "Sleep."

"Ludgug?" Gilbert's voice was soft and weak. 'Giiiilllllbbbrr?' He looked to the entrance of the cave and shook his head. "No."

"No?" Ludwig looked at the entrance and then back to Gilbert, finally understanding what the alien was trying to say. "Stay. I'll stay." He moved himself to sit by Gilbert's bandaged feet. "Stay."

Gilbert smiled then and said, "Day."

"Close enough."

Ludwig watched as Gilbert fell into an exhausted sleep, feeling guilt now along with remorse. He had to speak to Professor Sai about what has been done to Gilbert. All he had to do was approach the issue in a calm but assertive way.

/

"What is it that you wish to see me about, Ludwig?" Sai asked from his desk but did not look up at Ludwig as the soldier entered his office.

"Sir," Ludwig saluted. "I wish to speak with you about Gilbert's alterations."

Sai looked up from his papers. "Alterations? Oh, you mean what we did to his body." He sat back in his chair. "It looks worse than it is, Ludwig. Please, have a seat. And keep in mind that Gilbert's body heals quickly. We are certain that his scars will disappear once the stitches are removed."

Ludwig sat in the leather chair and kept his features stern. "I thought we were reintroducing human functions to Gilbert's life. I didn't think his body would be changed. He is very depressed now, he won't eat or get out of bed."

Sai nodded. "I figured as much. Ludwig, please try to understand that what we do, we do in the best interest for the human race as well as the universe. Yes, we are trying to alter Gilbert's body to see if we can reverse the adaption."

"What for? They were humans who escaped a harsh life and made a living elsewhere. Shouldn't we just leave them alone? They left for a reason."

"Ah, yes, that's true. But, they did not CHANGE on purpose. Their planet, climate, and environment changed them. The quick adaption is simply amazing. Life forms have the ability to change in all different ways to meet their environment and continue to survive. It's just…amazing!"

"So you want to return Gilbert's alien body back to that of a human? Just to see if the adaption and evolution can change quickly? You can't control evolution…not that quickly."

Sai gave a little chuckle. "I don't expect you to understand this much of science, Ludwig. It's very difficult to understand and you have not perused your life in the field of science. While you are intelligent, you are not at my intellectual level for science. Besides, Gilbert is an intelligent being. He deserves to be among other intelligent beings like us. He'll be much happier as a human."

Ludwig shook his head. "You can't know that. No one asked Gilbert what he wanted. I know that we can't but forcing him to become something that he's not-"

"Ludwig, please, calm down." Sai held up his hand to stop further speech. "I understand you care for Gilbert, and that's fine. Gilbert needs to know human compassion for he certainly was never treated kindly among his own people. He clings to you because you give him what he craves, understanding and compassion. Those are very basic human emotions that he is intelligent enough to feel, to want, to understand. You are feeding his human instincts and that is something for you to be proud of. We can give Gilbert the life he deserves."

"Then what about his planet?" Ludwig asked. "If we teach him human speech and make him think like us, are you going to try use him to catch other beings on his planet?"

Sai tapped his pen on the desk, licking his dry lips before tilting his head back to give an aggravated groan. "You see me as the bad guy here. I understand that. I've done terrible things to Gilbert without remorse or guilt. However, you should not be glaring daggers and wishing harm on me, Ludwig!"

"Sir, I-"

"Be quiet!" He slammed his palm on the desk. "I'm protecting Gilbert's humble little planet by having him on this ship! If it weren't for my persuasion at the board meetings then the galactic army would be taking over that planet and killing every being in sight."

Ludwig was surprised by Sai's sudden outburst as well as the explanation of reasoning behind some of this case. "Why do they want to destroy the planet?"

"There's special minerals there, and many other things that those bums on the Universe Committee would love to get their fat fingers on. I'm sure they have deals with other life forms and galaxies as well about this. But I saw other opportunities on that planet that they did not see, nor did they care to see. They see only money. I see long term answers to further understanding human development in the changing universe. I saw Gilbert's people. I knew immediately what they were and my tests proved my theory to be correct. We've been looking for life forms such as Gilbert's race to study, and it is on my good word and excellent conduct that Gilbert's planet is currently untouched. The committee board approves of my theory and experiments to reintroduce human ways to these evolved life forms. So before you plot my demise, think about that for a moment. Think about the _good_ I am doing rather than the _bad_."

Despite Sai's explanation, Ludwig still was not convinced that it was the full story. It sounded legit, but something about it seemed off. "I'm not plotting your demise, sir. I just feel concern for Gilbert's health."

"I know you disagree with what we've done, and I don't blame you for feeling that way. But from now on, keep your nose out of my area in this experiment. Keep reintroducing human functions."

"Yes sir." Ludwig stood up to leave but Sai stopped him.

"Wait. You said he is depressed?" Ludwig nodded. "Then cheer him up. Bring one of your dogs to the habitat chamber for him to play with. Animal therapy is a well known aid for depression and healing. It's old fashioned, but something I think Gilbert will like."

"Thank you, sir."

/

"Alright, Skye," he spoke the dog's name outside the habitat chamber door. "Be a good girl. No barking." They entered the chamber with Skye by his side. He chose Skye because she was the most even tempered one out of the pack. Skye was a descendant of the old Border Collie breed and highly intelligent. "Come."

Skye followed him through the woods and to the nest. Ludwig knew he would have to carry Skye up there if Gilbert didn't come down. First he would try to get Gilbert to come out, and then he would attempt to carry the dog up. He called Gilbert's name twice but the alien did not show up at the entrance. He tried again, and then a forth time, until finally he appeared.

"Skye. Speak!" Ludwig commanded and Skye barked.

Gilbert looked frightened at first by the sight of the dog but Ludwig assured him it was safe by showing him how kind Skye was by petting her. Skye licked Ludwig's face and wagged her tail, two motions in which Gilbert is familiar with. Ludwig saw the alien take sudden interest and he began to descend on the ladder. Ludwig noticed how well Gilbert was using his newly shaped feet. The alien was wise enough to know to go slow and take his time on the ladder.

When Gilbert got to the ground he went on all fours, the same as Skye, and began to carefully approach her. Skye remained still, panting softly, and wagging her tail at Gilbert. Ludwig knelt beside her to show Gilbert that she was a tame animal. Skye, ever patient, allowed for Gilbert to sniff her. Ludwig had to keep himself from chuckling so he focused instead on showing Gilbert the proper way to pet a dog.

"Gilbert. Like this." He took Gilbert's hand and brought it to Skye's fur, showing him how to pet her.

Skye remained calm as Gilbert stroked her coat with both hands, marveling at her fur and softness. Skye even leaned forward and gave Gilbert's nose a few little licks. Gilbert smiled at Ludwig, obviously pleased with Skye and surprisingly, he brought the dog into a hug. Skye had to stand up to allow him to hug her but she kept her tail wagging. Ludwig could tell that she did not feel threatened by Gilbert at all.

"Dog." Ludwig pointed to Skye. "Dog."

"Gog." Gilbert repeated.

"D-og."

"D-OG!"

"Yes! Dog."

Gilbert scratched behind Skye's ear. "Dog."

Ludwig pointed to himself. "Ludwig." He pointed to Gilbert. "Gilbert." Then he pointed to the dog. "Skye." He also chose Skye for this because she had a one-syllable name, which is easier to repeat. He repeated the names again, wondering if Gilbert caught on to the quick lesson he was attempting to teach."

"Ssssssskye. Dog. Dog Skye. Skye dog."

Ludwig smiled and nodded. "Yes."

Gilbert pointed to himself. "Gilbert." The name was easy for him to repeat. He pointed to Ludwig next. "Ludgug. Ludvig! Mmm…Skye!" He pointed to the dog.

"Very good. Gilbert, you are learning fast!"

Ludwig couldn't believe how well Gilbert took to Skye. The two were playing on the ground but Ludwig feared Gilbert's wounds would open up if he played too rough. He took one of the balls from his bag and whistled for Skye to come. She left Gilbert's side to wait anxiously in front of Ludwig at the sight of the red ball. Gilbert looked on curiously as well. Ludwig threw the ball and Skye chased it, bringing it back to him proudly. Gilbert crawled over to Ludwig and took the ball from his hand.

"Throw." He showed Gilbert the motion with his arm. "Throw."

Gilbert nodded and threw the ball, laughing as Skye ran after it. She brought it back but didn't know who to give it too. Gilbert reached for it so she gently laid it in his palms. The two continued the game until Ludwig ended it with another whistle.

"Food." He said to Gilbert. "Food."

"Food." Gilbert said, pointing to his mouth.

"Yes. Food. Eat." Ludwig mimicked eating with his hands. "Eat."

Gilbert nodded, understanding him.

Although he ate slowly, Gilbert finished the bags of the fruit much to Ludwig's relief. The animal therapy had worked, it would seem, to lighten Gilbert's mood. Or Gilbert had quickly come to terms with the horrid alterations of his alien body. But Ludwig found that hard to believe since Gilbert showed signs of intelligence. His psyche would let him know the extent of his body and the changes within it.

"Ludvig," Gilbert said his name. "Skye."

"Yes." He took out the red ball again and showed it to Gilbert. "Ball."

"Bbbbbbbulll."

"No. Ball. BA-LL."

Gilbert tried again but as he was forming the word he burped instead. Skye's head tilted at the sound and Ludwig covered his mouth to hide his laughter. Gilbert began to laugh too but instead of his 'kesseese' it came out as a regular human laugh. The sound of the laughter seemed to confuse Gilbert as well for he covered his mouth the moment after. Ludwig found this very peculiar yet fascinating too because Gilbert appeared to be picking up the human language on his own just by observing. Ludwig figured it would be best to spend more time with Gilbert now since the alien seemed to be a visual learner- or he was a fast learner.

Gilbert took the ball to throw it again in another game of fetch with Skye. The dog continued without complaint, never showing signs of boredom. Ludwig, however, had to get Skye back to the kennel so the playtime had to be cut short.

"Skye, come." The dog brought the ball over and stood by his side.

Gilbert looked at them, confused.

"Skye eat." Ludwig said and the alien nodded, appearing to understand. But Gilbert crawled over to them to latch onto Ludwig's leg, looking up at him with the same pink, red-rimmed eyes. "I'll be coming back." Ludwig told him. "Be back soon." He took the ball from Skye's mouth to show to Gilbert. "Ball. Gilbert and Ludwig." He pointed to himself, to Gilbert, and then to the ball. "Play."

"Play?" Gilbert repeated.

"Yes. Play."

_He let go of Ludwig's leg after he understood what the human meant. Skye had to eat and Ludwig would be back to play with the ball. It was getting easier to understand Ludwig and the human's speech. He wondered if it was due to something the men in white did to him during all the pain. The men were changing his body in so many ways…_

_It was sad to see Ludwig go but he knew the man would be back. Sleeping now was all he wanted; his belly was full and his mind had been taken off of the pain for a bit. It was easier to climb up to the nest rather than climb down, he noticed. His arms hurt less than his feet so he pulled himself up. Once inside, he crawled to the nesting area to rest his back against the wall and cover himself with the blanket. He kept his maimed feet in view though. He wanted to look at them now that he was wide awake, full, and a little more relaxed. _

_Both feet were narrow now, almost like the shape of the humans. Then it occurred to him that the humans may be trying to turn him into one of them. He may look a little bit like a human, but he wasn't a human. He and his race just __**are, **__they didn't have a name, nor was it necessary. If they really were trying to make him human, then Ludwig was in on it as well. Ludwig is teaching him how to talk like a human, with human speech and words. However, Ludwig, he knew, is nothing like the men in white. Ludwig is a kind human, a bit hard to understand, but kind. He is very kind to his dog, and very kind to him. _

_He smiled at the thought of being with Ludwig as mates. If he weren't barren he could give Ludwig many children, strong males, and he couldn't help thinking how pretty they would be. Both he and Ludwig were not only strong but attractive as well. As much as his tribe despised him, none ever denied that he was desirable and beautiful. He may be different, but he was good to look at. Pride and fear is what kept everyone away from him. Although he did wish for acceptance, he knew in his heart and soul that he did not NEED his tribe to feel complete. He was smarter than all of them. He understood things that they didn't and couldn't. Yes, he couldn't mate or have offspring, but he could sense the changing of the seasons, count to higher numbers, and see things differently. To him, that was more important than being just another tribe member. But everyone wants to be accepted, even for their differences. _

_Ludwig accepted him. Ludwig and Skye, the dog. No one else here in this horrid place accepted him. The men in white wanted to MAKE him acceptable by turning him into one of them. Well, that wouldn't happen, he told himself. He would never give in to them, no matter what. They may change his body and speech, but they could never change his heart or mind. He found his lips curling into a large smirk. Yes, he could withstand anything. _

'_Maybe if I learn more about the ways of these humans…I can beat them and escape.' _

_Escape to where, he did not know. However, he knew that Ludwig would help him escape. The human man would know what to do. They could be back on his planet and he would ask Ludwig to stay with him, to mate with him, and to start a special, separate life of their own as a pair. He knew Ludwig wasn't happy here- he could read it on the man's face- unless that's how Ludwig always looked when the alphas in white were around? _

_It became much too hard to think with the pain coming back to his wounds so he took to settling down in his nest. This nest would mean more to him if Ludwig were here to share it, or to help make it larger. As he closed his eyes he thought about what his life would be like with Ludwig as his mate living on his planet. Ludwig was a human so he would have to learn how to make a strong hanging nest to house them both. He could make the nesting inside himself but by his tribe, Ludwig would have to go out and gather all the materials for the nest. Then they could have offspring, little ones, to raise on their knowledge as well as their heritage. The image of a happy family is what helped him to fall asleep._

_/_

'_Hybrid 6900 continues to improve with his speech. He appears to be picking up on my language at a much faster rate than before. Pronunciation has improved tremendously with words forming rapidly. He mastered the words, 'eat', 'food', ' yes', 'no', 'ball', 'dog', and 'Skye'. My name has evolved from 'Ludgug' to 'Ludvig'. In a short time, I believe he will be able to fully pronounce my name.'_

'_The alterations to his body have not seemed to bother him since playtime with Skye. At first, he was depressed with signs of crying and refused to eat. After some coaxing I got him to eat his meals and learn the game of 'fetch' with Skye. He enjoys the company of animals so when I start regulating his playtime I will bring one of my dogs to join us. Tomorrow I plan to introduce Gilbert to very basic human objects, such as a pen and paper, a fork and knife, even how to dress. We continue to make advances each and every day'_

It left a bad taste in his mouth to write the entry without expression but it had to stay professional. Despite his feelings towards the cruelties to Gilbert he had to keep his writing and data professional at all times. It was better to only state facts in writing and not feelings for anything in writing can be used against you. And he did not trust Sai and his fellow scientists.

"What cruelties await you tomorrow, Gilbert?" Ludwig asked himself out loud as he turned off the light and placed the tablet on the table. 'How can I stop them from hurting Gilbert?'

A small part of his psyche told him that he shouldn't get too close to another being, human or alien, after what happened to Friend. He suddenly pictured Friend's battered body beside Gilbert's, both bleeding and dead. All he could do was stand by, wide eyed with fear and guilt for he could not save them. There was nothing he could do.

Ludwig let out an angry grunt and shoved his head under the pillow, gripping the fabric in a white knuckle hold while he tried to shake the images from his mind. 'I was just a little boy then, scared and powerless. But I'm a man now. I have wits, strength and power. I just…have to figure out a way to use them where no one gets hurt or loses their status…I might as well try to find a needle in a haystack.'

Sleep did not come well for him.

**End Chapter 3 TBC**


	4. Bond

*****Warnings: Yaoi, language, fluff, interesting alien stuff**

*****Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. I am making no money off of this fic. **

* * *

**Chapter 4: Bond**

After the alterations made to his body, Gilbert was left alone for nearly a week while he healed. Once the stitches began to dissolve, his natural skin healing process took effect by layering the wounds with a new skin. The tail never grew back but a sheet of oddly colored skin covered the area where it had been. Gilbert's toes now looked as if they belonged to a stuffed animal or a doll, having the narrowness of a foot but not ten toes. The only trouble Gilbert had the most with were his new feet which took some getting used to. While his walking was improving every day it could still be better. The alien would shift and stumble often, falling into trees or landing on the ground. Gilbert never showed any signs of anger, only frustration with having to learn how to move his body again.

Ludwig continued to take data on Gilbert throughout the week as the alien grew accustomed to his new handicap. At least, that's how Ludwig chose to look at the mutilations. The alien appeared to be adjusting well to what had been done to him, which was all well and good so long as it didn't start to effect his mental state and cognitive functions. It could be the simple notion that Ludwig was keeping Gilbert occupied through games and playing with Skye. Gilbert and Skye had grown very close over the course of the week and Ludwig wondered if the dog didn't think of Gilbert as anything else but one of her pack. He acted like she did, and would have even more so if he still had a tail to wag.

But it wasn't just Gilbert's relationship with the dog that had grew but their one-on-one relationship as well. Ludwig found that he grew more excited to see Gilbert each morning he arose from bed. He barely spent any time training for he preferred to stay by Gilbert's side, enjoying how rewarding it felt to see another being thrive because of his diligence. The alien had grown much since their first meeting and although they could not communicate fully with the same dialogue, they understood each other. Gilbert had ceased the heavy rutting, choosing to follow Ludwig's appropriate human behavior.

In this week, Ludwig taught his alien charge how to eat with a spoon and fork, use a plate, use a 'kitty-litter-like' box for physical waste, and dress in clothing. The best part of the day was when Gilbert took the clothes for the first time, taking a moment to feel the material before attempting to put it on. Ludwig had to help him, of course, but once the clothing was on Gilbert didn't want to take it off. Ludwig had gotten him a simple red shirt and brown shorts. To someone who did not know Gilbert was an alien they would think they were simply looking at another human. It was really remarkable.

"Ludvig!" Gilbert called his name happily and grinned. "Keseseseseee! Got you!"

"Yes, Gilbert, you got me." Ludwig came out of his hiding spot. Hide and seek is one of Gilbert's favorite games to play. Since it was a favorite, Ludwig chose to teach him a few words and phrases to go along with the game, like, 'here I come' and 'got you'. It was now his turn to hide, which was useless because Gilbert just followed his scent like a dog and found him instantly. Still, Ludwig would humor him. Gilbert didn't recognize the difference.

After playtime was over, Ludwig showed him how to eat his soup without making too much of a mess. Aside from the heavy slurping, Gilbert managed to make little mess with the soup and spoon. He would become very excited when Ludwig praised him for doing such a good job. Ludwig had made sure to always give Gilbert positive feedback to boost his self esteem, which in turn makes the alien work even harder to achieve his goals.

All this time they were making progress, until Professor Sai and his team came back into the picture.

As always, they kept their reasoning for why they were taking Gilbert to themselves. Gilbert struggled to get away from them but Sai still had the remote that ignited the shock chip in his neck. It was all Gilbert needed to see before he stopped struggling and followed their instruction. Ludwig had to watch on with a heavy heart as his alien friend was taken from him, off to be experimented on in torturous ways. If only there was something he could do, anything, he would do it.

/

Sitting at the bar was his only means of escape for the duration of Gilbert's experiments. Sai told him that it may take a couple of days and to give himself some off time to have 'fun'. Ludwig didn't want to have fun with other space cadets; he wanted to have fun with Gilbert and continue to teach him. It was becoming more clearer to him about his feelings for Gilbert. At first, he didn't want to believe that he was feeling emotions of…love. If it could be called 'love'. Although they were so different they actually shared more together than Ludwig had ever shared with anyone! Perhaps it was true in the old, old saying, that there is someone for everyone.

But what kind of life could they have together? They were from different worlds and neither could go back to their homes. Earth was a wasteland and Gilbert's planet could be destroyed at any time. If they didn't get off this ship then Gilbert would continue to be a lab rat until the day he dies, and Ludwig knew it would be all his fault. The need to protect and save Gilbert from this life grew stronger every moment he spent with the alien. It even began to occur to him that he is willing to give up his life as a galactic soldier just to save Gilbert. What was happening to him? Alien love?

Another soldier came and sat next to him. "A shot of your hardest." He said to the bartender.

Ludwig ignored the man until the other asked a question.

"Why your long face? Girlfriend dump ya?"

"No." he answered with a sip of beer. "Just trying to forget for awhile."

"Yeah, me too." He ordered another shot. "Just got some shit news. And I mean, SHIT news. I'm sure you don't want to hear it but I'm telling you anyway." Ludwig just shrugged his shoulders. He had no interest in the man's tale of woe. "My girlfriend of five years just ran off with a fucking alien from Cubus 12! She's leaving all that I've worked for, for us to have a family, behind so she can know what alien dick feels like! Guess where they're heading? Guess!"

Ludwig shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Where are they heading?"

"To that damn equality base, that's where!"

Suddenly, Ludwig got an idea. "What equality base? I have not heard of this."

"It's where a lot of aliens and humans go to stop all the Space Congresses and Spacey- universe stuff. They just want to fight the power. They're tough too. Got a lot of guns and weapons, and they get a lot of fucking support from the alien side of the universe. Damn little green men don't' want us humans sharing the universe with them! And our own kind betray us! Can you believe that?"

"I can't. Where is this place? Do we know?"

The man shook his head. "It's near impossible to find. It has a mirror shield around it! Can you believe it? A mirror shield! It's like the damn thing is invisible!"

"Interesting."

"There's a meeting about it tomorrow. It's voluntary, but I might go."

"I think I will go too."

'A rebel base? On a space ship where they fight for equality and change.' Ludwig paid for his drink and hurried out of the bar to the libraries.

With a little research, he may have just found a way to save himself and Gilbert. In the libraries, the computers had every bit of recorded data and news files throughout the universe so the soldiers can keep up with the changes. It had been a while since he last came here to study yet he knew right where to go. Taking a seat at the computer he opened the search file and typed in 'rebels'. Sure enough, hundreds of links about rebels all across the universe appeared, so he had to narrow it down. Using the 'advaced search', he used words like 'mirror ship' and 'equality' before clicking 'search'. This time, only a few links came up and each were about the rebels in question. Ludwig wished he had brought his glasses so that he could see the screen better, so he had to squint and lean in close to read.

'They are a very large group of rebels, from all over the universe. Some brought small armies with them, others brought guns, weapons, and animals of destruction. Little is known about their life inside the ship but their acts speak of whom they are.' Ludwig continued browsing through the articles. 'They support all love and marriages, human or alien, male or female, female and female or male and male, along with other types of sexual beings to name a few.' Ludwig raised a brow but kept going. 'Fight for equality throughout the universe for humans and aliens alike.' He clicked through some photos of these rebels striking and picketing, with signs that read, 'Stop Alien Testing' or 'Love is Beautiful' or 'Set Us Free'.

One picture had the rebels burning the flag of the United Space Stations, a symbol in which he wore on his uniform. They did not like anyone who worked for the galaxies. 'But they're strong. Gilbert and I will be safe there. But how can I get there? Our space industry is always hunting them…they won't listen to me for I am in the 'enemy' uniform. I'll have to change my clothing…and the dogs have to come with me.'

Ludwig knew that he should have the coordinates to the rebel space ship before attempting to use an escape pod ship to get away. Flying around aimlessly would only succeed in getting them all caught. But how do you find rebels that don't want to be found? If what that man said is true, then an alien on this ship, the Quasar 575, knows where it is for they are fleeing there. So if one alien knows then others must know as well. But they would never tell him if he asked because, technically, he was the enemy. No where was safe, it seemed.

Then, the truth about what was he was considering doing made itself known. He was going to leave the space force, give up being a soldier, and struggle to survive once again. This status is something he had worked very long and hard for but it seemed he would have to throw it all away now. But that was okay, he figured, because getting Gilbert to safety is more important than his career as a soldier. Now that he has seen first hand what the 'powers at be' are capable of, he did not want to be a part of the Space Organization. Aside from that, he started to wonder if the military operations he helped carried out on other planets were all lies. Maybe he had done to other alien races like they what they are trying to do with Gilbert's planet.

'But I was desperate.' He told himself. 'I had to get off of Earth and make a living or else I'd be dead. I had no other options. It doesn't matter now.' He took a deep breath. 'Saving Gilbert is more important. We can find that rebel ship and live there.' Checking the clock on the wall it was almost closing time for the library. 'I should go. I have some…detective work to do.'

Three days later…

Gilbert still has not returned to him and no one on Sai's team would let him see or visit. All they said is that Gilbert is 'recuperating'. Recuperating from what? It couldn't be good, whatever it was. But it did give him extra time to plot out a possible escape route. While wandering the ship, he chose to talk to many drunken aliens in hopes they would let something slip. So far, he had come up empty until one alien, drunk, mentioned something to him in their 'drunken' conversation.

"I don wanna be human likes thems." The alien said in a drunken slur.

"I know. The humans are trying to destroy everything again, just like before." Ludwig replied.

'Yer right. So right." The alien burped. "I'm getting outta herea, marks my wooords."

"Where are you going? I would like to go too. I don't want my good name sullied by these nasty humans."

The alien grinned with a toothless mouth. "Yous comes wit me, friend! We go to…the safe place!"

'Perfect.' "What safe place?" He pushed another drink in front of the alien.

"You needs the…the coordinates."

"WE need the coordinates." Ludwig corrected and pushed a napkin in front of the alien with a pen. "Write them here! Quickly, before the bartender sees!" The alien wrapped his tentacle like fingers around the pen and started plotting some dots (stars) and writing out a formula of numbers. Although he was drunk, the alien written work was legible. Ludwig would first have to test it on the navigator to make sure it was correct. "Thank you! We'll make plans to meet!"

"Yeah…" he hiccupped and drank the other drink before collapsing face first onto the bar in a drunk slumber.

Ludwig paid for both their drink, tucked the napkin away, and hurried out of the bar. Hopefully, the navigation room would be open at this time of night. He had access to the navigation room so using the devices wouldn't be an issue. Arriving at the navigation room, Ludwig saw that he had ten minutes left until closing. He hurried his way inside, ignoring 'hellos' and going straight to a computer. He wasted no time in typing in the coordinates.

'Good, they are correct. This is where we need to go. I need to get Gilbert to this rebel base…but I have to fly there somehow. I'll only be able to get an escape pod…but Sai will know when one of those is gone. I need a ship. A small one.' He rested his head in his hands, trying to think of how he could obtain a small ship for two people and a couple of dogs. He was too poor for-'

Lifting his head from his hands, he found his lips curling into a real smile. He was no longer poor but rich! The amount of money Sai has paid him could buy two of those ships! It was perfect! Sai is always pushing him to buy something nice, so why not buy himself his own speed ship? Many space generals had their own to use and fly around the galaxy wherever they wanted to go. This would be suspicious, at least he would hope. The trickiest part would be getting Gilbert to that ship and hoping all the dogs remained silent.

'I could use the dogs as an excuse to leave the ship! Yes, I'll be taking them for 'training' and then, with careful planning and luck, I'll sneak Gilbert in as well! I have enough money now to buy the ship!'

With a plan set into motion, Ludwig retired to his bed so that first thing tomorrow morning, he would be up and ready to purchase his ship.

/

In the laboratory…

"Now then, say, "Hello, my name is Gilbert".

"Hello. My name is Gilbert."

Sai let out a cheer and the others joined him, clapping at their success. While they were congratulating each other, no one noticed the looks of pure evil that were being sent their way.

They had changed him again only this time, instead of cutting things off they added something more to his body, inside his body. He touched the bandage around his neck where they humans had placed some sort of strange device with little wires leading up from his neck and to his temples. He knew know that these were wires and not vines. These wires, as he understood, told the 'human' part of his brain to bring forth words of human speech through the tiny device in his throat. Such a device worked for he found that he could speak fluent human. The one best thing about this is that he will be able to speak to Ludwig now. They can have human conversations. There is so much he wants to talk to Ludwig about!

"So, Gilbert, what do you think of your new body?" Asked Sai. "Don't you find it better than your old one?"

Gilbert smirked. "I think I look pretty good, and it's a shame not all humans can look like me." The other scientists gave a little chuckle. "I want to go home to my planet now."

"They will not accept you there, Gilbert." Sai reminded him. "You are different now. You belong amongst your fellow humans."

White brows furrowed. "I am not human. I look human. I speak human. But I am NOT human. You made me this way, by force!"

Sai gave a scoff. "Please, I saved you from a life of belly crawling and fruit eating! With that device in your body, you now know how to read and write! No one wanted you on that planet of yours! At least as a human you have a chance to be something great!"

"I can be your lab rat some more. I understand it all now, thanks to these-" he pointed to the wires. "You want to turn me human because you think I used to be human thousands and thousands of years ago. Did you ever think that we moved to that planet so we could NOT be humans anymore?"

Sai tsked. "Everyone wants to be a human."

"No, they don't!"

"Get him out of here." Commanded Sai. "Let him insult Ludwig a bit."

'Yes! I want to talk to Ludwig! I want to surprise him!'

As they were transporting Gilbert back to the habitat chamber, Sai whispered to one of the men, "Plant a few recording devices in there while cleaning. Just to be safe."

/

Ludwig waited inside the habitat chamber for Gilbert to come. He had received the message on his tablet that Gilbert is being returned and to have food and water ready for him. Ludwig had to brace himself in preparation for what he feared Gilbert would look like after this.

The door opened and closed. Ludwig looked up, preparing for the worse to meet his gaze. But when he saw Gilbert walking into the habitat chamber, alone, dressed in the same red shirt and brown shorts, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. Gilbert wasn't hurt, at least, he didn't appear to be. There were wires going out from his neck and up to his temples, but nothing else seemed out of place. And the best thing of all, Gilbert was smiling at him. Even his walking had become much better and his stride was that of a graceful human. Once again, it would appear that Sai and his team had taken everything alien away from Gilbert.

"Hello, Ludwig." Gilbert spoke to him in a clear voice. "Those bastards in white coats have made me fully human in body."

Ludwig shook his head in disbelief. Did he just hear Gilbert right? Did the alien just speak in fluent English? "Gilbert? What…what did they…?"

"Do to me?" He tapped at his throat. "They shoved some sort of little device that, I guess, is full of words. These wires go up into my brain and now I can speak like you. Who would have thought the brain had so much power!"

"I can't believe it! You can speak fluently, and you understand what you are saying?" Gilbert nodded. "They…they basically made you into a human! Just as you said they did!"

Gilbert kicked away a rock. "I'm still an alien, though. I'm not going to forget who I am in here. They didn't take EVERYTHING from me." He pointed to his heart. "But at least now…you and I can talk more."

Ludwig smiled. "Yes. I would like that very much."

"Let's go to my nest. We can start talking there."

What Gilbert meant by 'talking' was 'kissing', and a lot of it. Ludwig gasped in surprise when those lips crushed against his and slim arms wrapped around his neck. Gilbert whispered, 'I want to mate with you' between kisses and at this point, it was impossible to say 'no'. Ludwig thought passion didn't exist within him but he was wrong. Matching Gilbert's luster he kissed back, taking on the role of an alpha by attempting to dominate the alien. He tried to push Gilbert down onto the nest of blankets but the other wouldn't let him.

"We need to undress first." Gilbert reminded him. "I can't wait to see you naked!" His smile turned into a predators grin.

Ludwig felt a little uneasy but his pants were growing tighter at the sight of Gilbert stripping before him so he quickly did the same. He had been naked in front of other men before, in the locker rooms and showers, but doing it in front of Gilbert had him flushing. Actually blushing. His face brightened even more when he noticed Gilbert staring at his crotch.

"Well…big boy!" Gilbert let his alien tongue fall out of his mouth.

"Don't talk that way! It's embarrassing."

Gilbert just laughed. "You're the alpha here, Ludwig, so act like one!" He bared his fangs and the pinkness of his eyes turned to red. "That's not fair…"

Ludwig didn't know it himself, but his hand was stroking the little things under Gilbert's hair, the ones that drove the alien crazy. "What are they?"

"It's to help an alpha mate with a submissive who does not want to mate. The alpha strokes, bites, or licks those and it's a weakness for us. It makes us horny even if we don't want to be." He smirked and took Ludwig's hand to placed it on his groin. "Look how hard your stroking has made me!"

Gilbert's erection was sizeable, almost the same as his but the only difference was it is pure white all around. As he wrapped his hand around the length he began to fell a dampness on his thighs from where Gilbert was sitting. Ludwig looked down to see that Gilbert's natural alien lubricant was free flowing. Suddenly, Ludwig wondered how much different sex was to Gilbert's race than his own.

"Gilbert…for a male, your body is acting much different."

"Keseeesse! It's in full mating mode, that's why! You've mated before, right?"

"Years ago."

Gilbert reached down to grip Ludwig's member in his hand. "This goes inside, simple as that."

"I have to prepare your body-" his hand was shoved between Gilbert's legs to feel the hot moisture there. "first?" Gilbert's lower parts contained not only an anus but another hole as well where all the liquid was coming from. It was nothing like the female genitalia but another kind entirely.

"It IS ready for you! You're suppose to just shove it in. That's how mating works." He moaned deeply and nipped at Ludwig's neck. "Come on…" he whined pitifully. "I've never been mated before!"

"But…you have… multiple openings."

Gilbert snorted and forced Ludwig's fingers up into the center one. "This is the mating entrance. This is where the babies go."

"But you're barren." Ludwig reminded him. "I shouldn't have to…enter there."

Gilbert looked at him in confusion. "What other way is there for males like me to mate? How do human males mate with each other?"

Ludwig couldn't help but blush a bit as he attempted to explain. "We have sex with this hole," he pressed lightly against Gilbert's anus. "We don't…have multiple genitalia like aliens."

"There? Sorry, but that's an exit. There's no fun or feeling back there!" He smirked and pinched Ludwig's cheeks. "You're going in where I want you to go in, go it?" Gilbert knew that some males preferred it that way if they didn't want to get pregnant again but it couldn't actually be any fun.

Ludwig understood Gilbert's need to mate. However, it was not how he wanted to experience his first time with Gilbert. What he wanted was to make love to him, not simply mate him. "Gilbert, wait. This is not how humans mate."

"I'm not human." Gilbert said darkly.

"I know, but I am. The way humans mate is much different than yours. Making love, sex, sleeping together, it has its own art form."

Gilbert raised a brow, quickly growing impatient. "An art form?"

"It's not fun to just push in, thrust and cum." To show what he meant, he carefully guided Gilbert down onto the nest of blankets. He felt like a wild animal, having just wooed its chosen one in its nest and now would mate them. But he wasn't a wild animal, he was a human, and a respectable one at that. Just thrusting inside seemed like force sex, even though in Gilbert's mind it wasn't. "It's better to…explore each other's bodies."

Gilbert frowned up at him. "The point of mating is to reproduce. I can't do that, but my body and mind run me through the steps anyway."

"Humans have sex for fun and pleasure, not just to reproduce."

"They do?" Gilbert looked surprised. "That seems pointless."

Ludwig thought for a moment but decided that was a topic of discussion for another day. "Let me show you what I mean."

He began with kissing Gilbert's cheeks, having to past his neck because of the bandages and went straight on to the shoulders. Beneath him, Gilbert writhed and gave out little sounds of mews. So far, the alien seemed to be liking it. Kissing down the bare chest, he moved to the arm that had the bar code on it and gave it a gentle kiss. Then, Ludwig let his tongue travel lower to swirl over the hard tip of a pink nipple and felt the other arch upwards with a gasp.

"Ludwig! What are you doing?"

"Making your body feel good in other ways." He wasn't an expert at the art of sex but he knew enough about it. Gilbert didn't know anything about it so he didn't have to worry about his pride. "Just enjoy it for now."

Gilbert let out another gasp when he felt Ludwig's mouth circle around his nipple and start to suck. The gentle tugging pressure of the sucking along with the tip of his tongue flicking at the nub had the natural essence from his lower body increasing unlike ever before. It was almost torture for his body to have to hold back from penetration like this, but it was a delicious torture of new pleasure. He arched his hips upwards so that his groin met with Ludwig, feeling heat against heat and the growing smell of arousal. Humans couldn't smell arousal the same as he, and Ludwig had a strong scent of arousal that if they were at home, his clansmen and women would be flocking to him. The scent of Ludwig's arousal and strength as a male had his special places tingling all over, threatening to drive him mad.

As Ludwig reached lower and lower with his kisses, he stopped at Gilbert's arousal to look at it suspiciously. "Gilbert?"

"What?" Came the throaty reply.

"Has anyone…ever put this in their mouth?" He touched the tip.

Gilbert raised an amused brow. "What? You mean suck it? Yeah, that's nothing new. A fast fix during non-mating times."

"So…no poison will come out?"

That had Gilbert laughing. "Only if I want it to. But I don't want you doing that." He grabbed Ludwig's ears to pull the man up his body to face him. "I want to mate now."

"But I want to show you-"

"No. I don't want all that! Right now, by body wants mating! Sex! Whatever you call it!" He even helped Ludwig position himself correctly.

"Gilbert, I don't want to do it like this. I feel like it's forcing you."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "You're not forcing me if I want it! This is what my body wants! I have no control over how it works for mating!"

"I still want to- huh?" Something was wrong with his lower parts. He looked down and under them to see a series of small green tentacles coming out from Gilbert's nether region. Before he could react, the tentacles wrapped around his member and with great, unnatural strength, pulled him straight into Gilbert's body. He tried to pull out but the tiny tentacles kept him inside. "Gilbert?"

"That's so you can't get away!" He panted out while trying to get used to the feeling of Ludwig's large erection within him. "Start moving!" His body and mind were craving the long denied feelings of pleasure.

The intense heat and moisture from being inside Gilbert's tight body was different than he remembered from all those years ago when he was exploring sexuality. The lubrication around him made the nerves in his already erect member tingle further and went he started to rock his body in a thrust motion, the feelings intensified. For years he had pent up sexual tension and now he finally had a chance to release all of it despite his better judgment. He didn't know which part he was thrusting in and out of but all he knew were the feelings of ecstasy it brought to both of them. He couldn't feel the little tentacles any longer but this time he did not want to leave. Gilbert's hips were arching up into his thrusts and the alien's cries were all human; pants, groans and moans.

Gilbert threw his arms around Ludwig's strong shoulders to hold himself steady while the heavy rocking of the thrusts nearly had him shoved out of the nest. Ludwig's member was just the right size for him, he felt, and it was striking every single nerve inside of him. This position, however, on his back was not a common mating one. Hands and knees were almost always the common way. Only mated lovers who feel they have connected and wish to remain together seem to explore other mating positions. This must be a human one, he figured, but that didn't mean it was any less enjoyable. His eyes widened as Ludwig's thrusts became deeper, harder and faster. All thoughts escaped him and pleasure remained. He was finally being mated, and not just for the need, but also for love. Ludwig mated him because he loved him. With his new box and wires, the word 'love' is something he understood now and it brought tears to his eyes.

"Gilbert?" Ludwig stopped immediately when he saw the tears in Gilbert's eyes. "Am I hurting you?" He was able to pull completely out of him. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

"No." Gilbert chuckled through his tears. "It's just…this damn box and wires! It makes me…feel and…and understand human things." He looked at him through teary eyes. "It tells me that I am in love with you, and you love me."

Ludwig, still rock hard, gazed down at Gilbert's flushed and crying face seeing him as a full human with emotions. Maybe love was different on their planet and what he is feeling is being transmitted by the wires to become a human emotion. "Gilbert, love is a good thing."

"I know. But do you really love me? I'm an alien…I'm not human…not by my consent."

He lowered his blue eyes in sadness. "I know…I liked you just the way you were…but I also like you this way as well. I'm not good with emotions." His cock was aching and starting to hurt with the need for release but he kept himself in control. "I…I don't' express them well. I'm better at showing that speaking."

Gilbert smiled at that, understanding what Ludwig was trying to say. "Then show me how you love me. I already love you! Now you show me how much you love me!"

"But not in this way." Ludwig said and placed his hand on the moist entrance he was just in. He saw Gilbert watching him as he took the natural lubricant in his hand to smear it over his erection. "Let me show you the human way to make love…between two males."

Gilbert wasn't sure what he meant until he felt Ludwig flipping him onto his hands and knees. So he was going to do it the natural way. Gilbert smiled at the thought and licked his lips while lowering his front and raising his backside. Already he could feel more of the moisture pooling out of him and trickling down his thighs; he was ready.

But no pressure came at that entrance. He was surprised to find the tip of Ludwig's member pressing at the ring of his bowels. At first, the penetration was slightly uncomfortable as it pushed through the tightest part. As his bowels opened to accommodate the length, the girth of it pressed against the pleasure centers of his other parts, which in turns changed the mild pain to pleasure. He heard Ludwig ask if he was 'okay', and with a smile at Ludwig's tender worry for his comfort, he nodded 'yes'. Then the unusual thrusting began.

Gilbert gripped the blankets of his nest, crying out with each deep thrust into his bowels. The pleasure came with uncomfortable stretching but the tip of Ludwig's member hit another pleasure center in him that helped to loosen the muscles. Ludwig's force of thrust continued to pummel him deep and hard, rocking his body against the nest. He didn't know what was so appealing about this but it was pleasure he couldn't complain about. It was drawling moans and cries from his throat. But it got harder when Ludwig's weight was forced upon him, pushing his body further down towards the nest and stretching his legs. He didn't realize how strong and heavy Ludwig was until he had to brace his legs to help keep the man's weight up as he still managed to thrust. Ludwig must not be used to so much mating, if at all.

Shamefully, Ludwig found that his climax was nearing all too soon. Gilbert's body continued to be so hot and tight that he never wanted to leave it. And his alien mate was enjoying it full force for the slim body kept rocking back to meet his motions. Gilbert's voice didn't sound like he was anywhere near climax but Ludwig didn't doubt that he could still continue mating even after he came. Closing his eyes and focusing on the feeling of pleasure throughout his body, he let out a deep choked cry of euphoria as he ejaculated inside Gilbert's warmth.

Gilbert felt Ludwig finish inside of his bowels but the feeling was bland. It felt wet and full, like he must hurry and relieve himself of waste before it went all over the nest. But his body seemed to hold a lot of it inside even if some trickled out. "Why did…you…finish there?" He asked breathlessly while moving his hands under him to rub at his still swollen erection aching for release.

"In case they altered your body further and fixed your reproductive organs…I didn't want to take the chance."

Gilbert stopped rubbing himself and looked back at Ludwig with a hurt expression. "Even if they did…you don't…want to have…children?"

The answer was 'no', but he couldn't bear to tell Gilbert about all that now, not during mating. "Gilbert, if you become pregnant somehow they will put you under more tests, and the baby or babies as well. You don't want that."

Gilbert gasped. "You're right…that would be terrible. But…I'm still-" his eyes widened. "Oh." He felt Ludwig push inside the other part.

"I will mate you this way until you finish." Ludwig said and gripping the narrow hips he started a new series of thrusts for Gilbert's pleasure.

Gilbert's insides tingled again with the familiar feeling of Ludwig returning to him in solid thrusts. Finally, he was mated, and by someone he loved. His body accepted Ludwig and he didn't want any others after Ludwig. Now he felt the build up of completion within his belly so his cries grew more frantic, and so did Ludwig's thrusts. Soon his nerves crackled and popped with pleasure throughout his whole body as he felt himself finish all around Ludwig's member. As Ludwig said, he did not cum inside of this spot, and for that he was grateful. He whined when Ludwig pulled out but his body needed rest, as did Ludwig's.

Spent and sated, they lay side by side on the wet blankets, staring at each other and panting in afterglow.

"I never thought…I would have sex again." Ludwig told him.

"Why?"

"I did it once…years ago…when I was a young man, much younger than I am now. I didn't care for the other young man I did it with. We were both just curious. With the way I am, I never gave much thought to mating or even wanted it…until I met you."

Gilbert smirked. "I have that effect, don't I?"

"We connected in a way I thought I never could with a person, alien or human. But there's something about you that just…drew you to me. And now that we can communicate…I feel like we can only go further."

"I think so too, Ludwig." Gilbert leaned over and kissed him. "Where are you going?" he asked when Ludwig sat up from the nest and moved across the floor to his bag.

"I want us to draw for a bit."

"Draw?" his mind made the connection of drawing to the pictures his people had in their caves. "Why draw? Can't we lay with each other?"

Ludwig returned to the nest but had a paper and notepad with him. If Gilbert could speak this well because of that device in his throat and head, then he could, hopefully, read. Ludwig wrote. 'Don't talk. Do you know how to read?' Gilbert looked at the words and nodded. 'Just write, do not talk. They might hear us.'

Gilbert understood then and took the pen from Ludwig, writing in sloppy letters the word, 'okay'.

Ludwig wrote next. 'I have a plan of escape for you and me, and the dogs.'

'Really? You will take me home?'

'I can't take you home. You will not be welcomed there, remember.' He looked at Gilbert to see him nod sadly. 'But there is a place where we can go and both be safe.'

Gilbert took the pen. 'Where?'

'A ship that holds both aliens and humans. They want to right all the wrongs of the universe, like stop the raiding and kidnapping of alien races like you.'

'And you know where this is?'

'It will take time and planning. But don't let anyone know.'

'I won't.'

Satisfied with their paper conversation, Ludwig closed the notebook and put it back in his bag before he settled down in the nest with Gilbert. "I'm sorry for all they did to you."

"I'll leave with it." Gilbert said. "It's sad and I miss my tail…but I'll get used to it. I'm a survivor, you know."

"I know."

"And you're mine now, Ludwig. You're my mate. I haven't bitten you yet, but I promise I will."

Ludwig's eyes widened. "Bite me?"

"Yeah, to put my mark on you."

"No one has lusted after me in…well…ever. I'm not very approachable. That means people are scared of me."

Gilbert smirked. "Better to be safe than sorry." He cuddled his head under Ludwig's chin. "We're starting a life together now, Ludwig. We'll make the best of it. Just snuggle me like this."

"Sure."

Ludwig gathered the alien into his arms, enjoying the warmth and feel of another body beside him. He vowed then and there that he would risk everything to get Gilbert off of this ship and somewhere safe, even if it means losing his life.

End Chapter 4


	5. Sorrow

*****Here's the next update everyone! I'm thinking there will be one or two more chapters before this fic is finished! So read on and enjoy!**

*****Warnings: Language, mild violence, angst**

*****Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. I am making no money off of this fic**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Sorrow**

Morning in the habitat chamber seemed to come fast for the new couple snuggled up in the nest. Gilbert was the first to wake up, tucked tenderly in Ludwig's arms and gazing at the sleeping face. He reached his hand up to softly stroke Ludwig's face and hair all the while studying his face in great detail. His mate is very handsome, Gilbert thought, and he's lucky to have Ludwig as his own. Now that they were mated, there is no way he would give up Ludwig. They are bonded in heart and body, there is no going back from it. And even though last night was his first time mating, Ludwig, he knew, was good at it!

Gilbert felt his body shiver when blue eyes opened to look back at him. "Hey." He smirked.

"Good morning." Ludwig replied. "Wait, is it morning?"

"Yeah." Gilbert cocked his head to look out the nesting hole at the artificial light. "They turned the sun on."

Ludwig untangled himself from Gilbert's arms to sit up. "What time is it, I wonder?" he feared he'd slept too long.

"Does it matter?" Gilbert sat up as well and stretched. "I'm really hungry. Go get me some food."

"Demanding me already?" Ludwig found that he was smiling. "Does being your mate mean I get nagged?"

Gilbert smirked. "Nagged? You want me to be a nagger?"

"Hardly." He got up from the bed and went to his clothes. "I should get back to my room, but I'll make sure you eat first."

"Don't get dressed just yet." Gilbert grinned, resting his chin on his knees. He hugged his legs tightly to his chest when he saw Ludwig's brow lift. "I like to look at that great ass!"

Ludwig's eyes widened in complete offense and surprise. "What kind of words did they implant in your brain?" He asked in near outrage. "Have they made you a pervert?"

"Pervert?" Gilbert had to process the word, and once he understood it, he laughed. "I'm only a pervert with you. Go ahead, bend over and pick up your clothes!"

Ludwig sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "Good grief."

After feeding Gilbert and making sure the alien was safe in the nest, Ludwig headed back to his room so he could freshen up. As he stood in the shower, thoughts of last night came back to him. He had sex with an alien, a being that was so close to human yet not. He feared that Sai and his team would know what happened last night, somehow. He would have to keep himself as calm as possible when Sai approached him about it. And he figured Sai would want a full report, in detail, because he is a perverted scientist. Ludwig didn't believe in sharing something so intimate, but he had to remain a 'loyal' and 'dutiful' soldier if he is to escape with Gilbert.

Finished and dressed, he had just exited his room when he came face to face with Sai and his team. Ludwig was startled for a moment but quickly regained his composure and saluted. "Good morning, sir."

"Good morning indeed. How was your night?" Sai asked with a grin. "Have fun?"

"Must I speak of it?" Ludwig asked calmly. "I don't believe in sharing about sex, and I'm assuming you had some way of knowing what we did?"

"I didn't. You just told me." Sai smirked and he saw Ludwig's face fall as he realized he just gave himself away. "I understand, you're a big prude. But this is for science, not a bunch of guys sitting around a table with some beers laughing about the tail they got last night." The other scientists laughed. "But, if it will make you more comfortable, you can talk to only me about it. So let's go into my office and discuss, shall we?"

Ludwig had no choice so he left with Sai.

Once inside the office with the door closed and locked, Sai sat behind his desk with Ludwig sitting in the front. Ludwig focused his gaze on a painting of a galaxy for he did not want to meet Sai's face. It is embarrassing enough having to speak of his sexual acts last night.

"Did you enjoy it?" Was the first question Sai asked.

"I did." Ludwig answered truthfully.

"And how was Gilbert?"

"Very eager. He enjoyed it as well."

Sai gave a chuckle. "You can look at me, Ludwig. We're adult men."

Ludwig finally looked at him. "I do not feel comfortable talking about this in either form, fun or scientific. It's a private matter."

"If you weren't getting paid for your data collecting, that is." Sai pointed out. "And this is data collecting. I'm sure you are thrilled with his new speech, yes?"

Ludwig nodded. "You did a wonderful job of making him speak the human language. How did you do it?"

"In simple terms, he has a small computer in his body with our language and a signal goes to the brain to tell him how and what to speak. That's what the wires are for at his temples." He pointed to his own temples. "The part of the brain responsible for speech is there. We just gave it a push in the right direction. He could always speak fluently but the art was lost. It was really quite simple."

"It is amazing."

Sai folded his hands on the desk. "Now then, let's return to the topic of mating. How did his genitals preform?"

Ludwig found he had to look away again and heard Sai snickering. "He did not know of anal but had an opening appear that...resembles the female anatomy." He couldn't believe he was talking about this. If he looked at Sai he knew he would feel the urge to punch the obnoxious scientist in the face and then run away. "I showed him anal but he wanted the other opening...served in the same manner" He had no clue how to speak of this and even he knew he sounded like an idiot. "Gilbert said that is the entry for mating and impregnating."

"And did you cum?"

Ludwig almost flew out of his chair and wanted to run to the door to escape answering such a question. "No!" he answered quickly. "I would not finish in that spot. I finished...not there."

"I see. Well, we'll have to take a few samples of your sperm and try for ourselves."

Ludwig finally looked at him but with eyes wide. "W-what?"

"A few sperm samples to keep on hand." Sai said again. "If you're not going to do it the natural way then we'll do it for you."

"What do you mean? You can't possibly want to impregnate him? He's barren!"

"Barren for his own kind, but what of a different kind?" He posed the question to Ludwig. "Their sperm has altered the same as their bodies, but yours remains as a human male. Perhaps his body will respond to-"

"No." Ludwig gripped the edges of the chair arms in a white knuckle hold. "I will not be a part of that! It is ridiculous! You've done enough to him! You've gone through so much to make him human again and now you want to attempt this?"

"Lower your voice, soldier." Sai said in a harsh tone. "You will do as I say! Chances are his body will not take to any sperm but we have to be sure. The sperm has to be yours because there is a chance that Gilbert's body can reject unwanted sperm, just like his type can prevent forced entry with poison. If he knows it's yours he'll be willing to accept it. He still has the alien instincts to be a parent."

Ludwig stood up from the chair. "No!" He shouted. "This has gone too far! You're only toying with him now! You've made him a human by giving him speech and removing anything alien-like from his body! Now you're just being cruel!"

Sai lowered his glasses. "And in just what way am I being cruel, pray tell?"

"Forcing more tests on him! If you want him to be a true human then you shouldn't be trying to force his body to have offspring! He's been altered enough!"

"But we may be able to give him something that he wants. Something that he craves." Sai pointed out, turning his tone softer now. "Did you ever think he may want the ability to bear children?"

Ludwig paused for a moment. "That is not my place to say. But it is wrong. All his children would be are more test subjects for you and your team. I...I cannot bear to think about children, my children technically, undergoing scientific testing. I will not agree to it."

Sai's features turned dark. "You will do as we say. Either do it the natural way or we'll do it for you."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I have to take a stand on this. My answer is 'no'." He may be ruining his chances with Gilbert but he just could not agree to this.

"Then maybe you need some time to think about it."

Ludwig shook his head. "My answer will still no."

Sai drummed his fingers on the desk. "Very well. You are dismissed." He watched Ludwig leave the room quickly. Once he was sure that Ludwig was far enough away, he pressed the button on his desk intercom. "Terrence, send word to the laboratory guards to have Ludwig Beilschmidt arrested and transported to a prison cell."

'Yes sir.' Replied the intercom.

/

'Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous!'

Ludwig had a feeling this topic would eventually come up but he didn't think it would be this soon. They were planning to escape, not start a family. He had no doubt in his mind that Gilbert would want to be a parent for it was embedded in his alien psyche along with the instinct to mate. But the truth of the matter is the babies wouldn't be safe and the last thing he needed on his mind were hybrid children. The first thing he had to do is get back to Gilbert and let him know what they plan to do.

Heading to the doors that lead to the habitat chambers, he saw three guards standing in front of it. "Let me pass." He said.

"Ludwig Beilschmidt," started one. "You're under arrest by order of Professor Sai for failure to perform your duties."

Ludwig's brows furrowed. "What?" His arms were quickly grabbed by the other two guards. He fought them by struggling to pull free. He managed to wrestle one arm free from a guard but he was outnumbered by three. These guards are built and trained to overpower others. "This is an outrage! Let me go! I demand to speak with Professor Sai!" The first guard gave him a hard punch to his lower gut, forcing him to double over in pain. Then came a backhand to his face with the guard's knuckles feeling like a layer of solid rock. It stunned his thoughts and froze his jaw. He glanced up to see the guard's elbow raised high and when it came speeding down he blacked out.

/

'Where is Ludwig?' Gilbert wondered as he sat near the door of the habitat chamber waiting for his mate to come. It was getting dark and Ludwig hadn't been back to see him. 'Is something wrong?'

Ludwig did not come back, nor did anyone come to see him at all. He feared something had happened to Ludwig but he is unable to do anything to help his mate. Not while stuck in here. There is no way to get out of this place without one of those cards that open the doors.

'Please be alright, Ludwig.'

He would wait by the door, patiently, until Ludwig came back.

/

When Ludwig finally came to he was locked in a small cell no larger than 8x10. He knew immediately where he was, in the holding cells far beneath the ship. His stomach and jaw ached from the abuse they received earlier and his head is currently sporting a nasty headache. It was a struggle to get to his feet but he finally did, having to lean against the cold wall to steady himself.

'Bastard.' He cursed at Sai for this was his doing. But he noticed, after standing, that his groin was sore, at least the tip was. The cloth of his underwear rubbed against it painfully so he pulled the material away from it. 'I know what they did.' He realized that they took from him what he wouldn't give. He didn't care about HOW they did it but his concern lies with Gilbert, and what they plan to do to him. 'I can only hope it doesn't work.'

There came a soft beeping sound from above and he looked up to see a small camera flashing with a green light. "Hello?" He said up to the machine.

'Enjoying your time in there, Ludwig?' It was Sai's voice.

"Why did you put me in this cell?" Ludwig asked even though he knew the answer.

'Simple. Your failure to comply resorted to your imprisonment. But not to worry, you will be freed soon. We took your sperm and tested it only to find it to be...insufficient for the task at hand.'

'Good.' Ludwig said to himself.

'That doesn't bother you at all?' Sai asked with a curious tone.

"No. How much sperm I have or how strong it is doesn't define who I am. To be blunt, sir, I could really care less."

There was silence for a moment, and then, 'Perhaps I acted too irrationally. I'm terribly sorry for your mistreatment and imprisonment. Science is such a passion of mine that I can get a little...carried away.'

'A little?' Ludwig laughed darkly to himself. 'You're a madman.'

'I would like to help raise your sperm count if-'

"No."

Silence again. 'Very well.'

'That was an easy response. Too easy. What does he have planned?'

'Someone should be by to release you shortly. I'll even throw in an extra thousand to your paycheck for this trouble. You really are the most important piece of this experiment with Gilbert.'

"What does that mean?"

The green light shut off and there was silence.

"Shit!" He cursed. 'Something's not right. Sai knows something...something he's not telling me.'

/

Sai clicked off the camera and speaker before turning to his team with a smile. "If you want something done, you have to do it yourself."

"But Professor, if anyone else tries-" the scientist stopped when Sai shushed him.

"There's a way around everything, and we have science on our side." He smirked slyly. "I think I'll pay Gilbert a visit. I'm sure he's worried about where Ludwig is."

The second scientist asked, "What do you have in mind?"

"I want you to give Ludwig a small dose of B7225."

"But, Professor," started the third "That's a poison."

Sai folded his hands. "A mild one that won't kill him, only keep him in pain for a bit. This is necessary for what I plan to do. So do it now and do it quickly. I want Gilbert to see Ludwig suffering. Go!"

The three left the room.

/

Gilbert had fallen asleep on the grass waiting for Ludwig to come. His ears jumped at the sound of the door sliding open with that familiar 'hiss'. Instantly he sat up at full attention with a smile on his face, hoping to see Ludwig but only to frown when he saw Professor Sai instead. The scientist had a grim look on his face but it was one of sadness rather than menace. Gilbert wouldn't let his guard down no matter how friendly or sad the bastard looked.

"What do you want?" Gilbert said to him. "Where's Ludwig?"

"I'm afraid I have some bad news about that." Sai said in a tender tone.

Gilbert stood up. "Why? What's wrong? Did something happen to Ludwig?" He gasped. "Did you do something to him?" Growling, he bared his fangs at Sai. If the man had hurt his mate in any way-

"Not me. I did nothing to him...but you did."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Last night you two mated, correct?"

Gilbert nodded. "Yes."

"Well, sadly, it would seem that your body rejected Ludwig in some way. We're trying to figure it out now."

Pink eyes widened slowly. "Rejected? But...everything was fine. We mated without any issue." then his eyes narrowed. "You're lying to me! I want to see Ludwig! Now!"

Sai nodded grimly and reached into his pocket to take out one of his tablets. "We currently have him in the hospital wing of the ship. That's where we send our people to go and get better when they are sick." He explained and tapped at various spots on the screen to connect to Ludwig's room. His team sent all the information once Ludwig was safely transported to the hospital wing. "I will get his room up on the screen."

"Show me! Show me now!" He went to Sai's side to try and see what was happening on the screen. "Where is Ludwig?" He demanded.

"One moment please." With a few more taps and codes, the tablet screen opened to a small hospital room with Ludwig writhing on the bed in pain.

Gilbert stared at the screen of Ludwig thrashing in pain on the bed, tangling the covers in his limbs as he rolled around. Like him, there were wires attached to Ludwig's arm. He knew this to be Ludwig, and that Sai is not lying. "What did I do to him?" He asked regretfully.

"Your body has poisoned him, not much to kill him but enough to keep him in constant pain."

Pink eyes started to sting with tears at the sight of his lover in so much pain. "But...but that can't be. I wanted him to mate with me."

"Yes, but you forget that he is fully human and you are not." He hid his smile when Gilbert raised his eyes to look at him woefully. "We're not sure exactly how just yet, but we think it has to do with your body responding to a human and not one of your own kind. Perhaps your body mixed itself up. Perhaps it read Ludwig's body wrong but became confused with your intense need to mate so it released only a bit of poison."

"I did this to him? I put my mate in pain? But...but I didn't mean to! Make him better! Please!" He hated to beg this bastard for help but Ludwig's well-being was more important than his pride.

"We have a theory, but it involves the surgical removal of your rape gland."

"My what?"

"The part of your body inside of you that poisons another you do not wish to mate with."

Gilbert lowered his eyes to the ground. "Oh…" he thought for a moment. "Then...if you do that, Ludwig can mate me without being poisoned?"

Sai nodded. "I believe I can reverse the doing of the poison but I will need to study your gland once it is removed."

"But if you remove that gland...then other humans or aliens might-" he stopped when the scientist cupped his right cheek.

"You've mated with Ludwig and he will protect you from anyone who tries to do you harm." Sai assured him with a smile. "You don't have to fear losing your gland in any way."

Gilbert stepped away from him. "How long will this take? Ludwig is still in pain!"

"We can give him some medicine to help him sleep and combat the pain. It may even go away on its own, but if it doesn't, then it is best we have a backup solution. Besides, you want to keep mating with Ludwig, right?" Gilbert nodded. "And you want to have his babies, right?"

White brows lifted. "Babies? But...I'm barren."

"We may be able to fix that too." Sai wasn't sure himself but it was necessary for Gilbert to believe it could happen. "You two would make very handsome babies."

Gilbert found himself smiling. "Yeah...we would."

"So let's go save Ludwig." Sai took Gilbert's hands in his. "Don't be afraid. Ludwig's health depends on you. He's given you so much, don't you want to give back to him?"

"I do." Gilbert was silent for a moment as he thought. Then, with a determined nod, he made his decision. "I accept!"

"Brilliant!"

/

The pain was too much to bear. Ludwig didn't know what was wrong with him but he had a hunch it was something planted in the water he drank. He should have never taken the water and food the guard offered to him! This pain was his own doing, no one elses. He should have known better! Now his stomach felt as if it would burst with all the twisting and turning it was doing- or rather, that is what it felt like. He had vomited everything in his system and there was nothing left but light bial and to dry heave. His throat is so raw from the heaving that his spit is tinted with blood.

A nurse came into the room along with a doctor, both armed with a set of needles. He tried to ask what they are for but his voice was so hoarse that it ached his throat to speak. The pain is so intense that he was unable to fight off the two as they approached the bed. The nurse injected something into his I.V. while the doctor gave him a needle in his other arm. He felt the effects of the nurse's job first; a sedative, to calm him but it did nothing for the pain.

"The painkillers will kick in soon." the doctor assured him. "Just give it a few more moments."

The sedative had his body becoming limp and useless like a rag doll. Next, the pain started to fade only very, very slowly. It was enough pain to keep the sedative from working to its full effect. Then, in his line of sight entered Sai who dismissed the doctor and nurse from the room. Ludwig was unable to say a word as Sai crouched beside the bed to look him in the eye with a victorious smile.

"No need to worry, my friend. We have it all figured out. Since your sperm is useless, we're going to try a different route, one where you will not be needed."

Ludwig could only stare at him.

"Poor Gilbert thinks that this poison in you is his doing. He's willing to do anything for you...such a strong bond you two have. He's agreed to let us remove his rape gland. Once we do that, well," he smirked. "I have some others lined up to do your job."

'Bastard! You bastard! Dammit! I can't move!' As the pain grew fainter the sedative worked faster. His vision was going dark.

"Don't worry, I'll still pay you for your services. In fact, I will still need them to some degree." He grinned. "Goodnight."

Ludwig's eyes closed and all had become dark.

/

Gilbert looked up at the bright white lights surrounding him while his body lay strapped to a cold metal bed. Once again there were needles and tubes throughout his body with a cap on his head and a breathing mask on his face. He saw the doctors preparing around him from the corners of his visions but there was no need to watch them. All he could think about is Ludwig and the pain his lover is in because of him. Removal of the gland was risky, he knew that, but protecting his future with Ludwig is more important.

"Gilbert, can you hear me?"

Gilbert looked to his left, recognizing Sai's voice. "Yes."

"We're going to put you to sleep now. Don't worry, you won't feel any pain." Sai put his surgical mask on. "Ludwig will thank you when this is all over."

'Ludwig...' he watched as Sai turned on the large green tank and his head became hazy. Slowly, his eyes fluttered closed.

/

Ludwig woke up feeling better but with a throbbing headache. The intense pain in his stomach is gone as well as throughout his body. Only now he felt incredibly weak, too weak to even move more than his hand. He saw that he is still in the hospital ward, on the bed, and unsupervised. It wouldn't make a difference seeing as he could barely move, most likely due to whatever poison Sai injected him with.

'Sai...that bastard! We have to get out of here. I have to get Gilbert away...we both have to get away!'

"Oh, you're awake." Said a woman's voice, the nurse, as she came in to check his stats. "How are you feeling?"

"I need to speak with Professor Sai." Ludwig demanded.

She nodded. "We will inform him that you are awake. He's been calling here and asking about your condition." She smiled. "It is nice of him to do so."

"Mmm...why can't I move?"

"That was some nasty poison in you. Your body is just weak from having to fight it off for so long, and the painkillers don't help it either. You'll be up and walking within the next hour or so. Just let your body rest and build up its strength. Don't do more damage to yourself by forcing your body to move."

He knew she was right and it wouldn't help Gilbert if he were to damage himself further. Besides, he could use this time to think about their escape. He would have to conduct himself carefully and try not to overstep any bounds. The first thing to do is purchase a ship, something that he would not be able to do without it being written on public record. He had more money than he knew what to do with, so maybe he could bribe one of the ship salesmen to keep it quiet. Or, he could use a false name. So many people and soldiers lived on this ship that there is a very good chance no one would know who he is.

There is only one issue: soldiers of his status did not have so much money in their accounts. If he were to pull it off, he would have to come up with a very convincing story to explain why he can purchase a ship flat out. Lying was never one of his strong suits because honesty is always the best policy, except when you in a dangerous situation such as this. He has no choice but to lie. He had no friends aboard the ship that could help him. He did not know any generals or captains close enough to ask for their help. As of right now, he is completely alone in planning this escape. It's at a time like this where he now regrets keeping away from people.

He lay on the bed staring at the far wall, thinking of anything and everything that he could do. Someone came into the room and figuring it was another doctor, he did not break his stare. He was angrily surprised to see Sai take a seat next to the bed. But he had very little strength to do anything about the man before him.

"All better I see?"

"No thanks to you." Ludwig answered. "That was a dirty trick you played."

Sai smiled. "All in the name of science. I know you're mad, but you really have no one to blame but yourself for this. You could have just mated Gilbert again like I wanted you to, or let me treat your weak sperm, but you were just too headstrong and noble to accept it. So I had to take matters into my own hands. You'll be pleased to know that Gilbert came out of the surgery well and is resting now."

"You did a terrible thing."

"I only do what I have to in the name of science."

Ludwig heard himself growl. "Why must you insist on destroying lives for science? Can't you leave well enough alone?"

"No, because if everyone in the history of time did that, nothing would be accomplished. If past doctors just let the Black Plague or Pollo carry on without trying to find a cure the world would have been wiped out- but that's okay, because we left well enough alone." He added the last part with sarcasm.

"This is not the same thing. What you are doing is based on curiosity. What you are doing to Gilbert serves no purpose to the human race or to the universe."

Sai smirked. "And the universe is so vast that no one gives a shit. Now, just so you know, I've already injected Gilbert with another's sperm to see if it will take. If it doesn't, then he is indeed barren and I'll leave the whole matter behind, scratching it off my list. An albino is still an albino no matter what race. I wanted to keep everything natural, to have Gilbert mate naturally instead of having it done surgically for him."

Ludwig clenched his eyes shut. "It's all for nothing! It's just you playing evolution for your own enjoyment. You've been cutting corners because you can."

"Guilty as charged." He chuckled. "But I still need Gilbert to be happy so I cannot get rid of you. All of his stats were low because of his fear and depression, all concerning you. It was quite remarkable, actually, to see how much his persona changed when he heard you were in pain. You're a lucky man, Ludwig." He leaned closer to the bed. "But you are defeated. Your pride and honor has gotten you nowhere, and it will continue to get you nowhere. Gilbert belongs to me. Now, either you can obey my rules and do as I say, or I will dismiss you from this case and you will never see Gilbert again. It's your choice."

There was no questioning or reasoning in his mind. Ludwig had to stay with Gilbert. "You're right." He said, pretending to be defeated. "I can't combat someone of your high rank. I have to remember my duties to the universe and this ship, as well as my role as a galactic soldier. Don't dismiss me from Gilbert." It killed him to kow-tow to this bastard but all he could think about was Gilbert and how he did not want to leave him. They would escape, he is determined to see it happen, but keeping Sai as his enemy would make fleeing twice as difficult. "I will continue to do as you say." It was best to bite his tongue, swallow his pride, and keep friendly with the bastard.

Sai slowly smiled. "Good boy. I know Gilbert will be pleased to have you with him. You can continue your work on collecting data. However, you will only have certain times where you can physically interact with Gilbert."

"What do you mean?" He was finally able to sit up in bed.

"We're moving Gilbert to the top floor of the habitat chambers where he will be the only one there in a much bigger chamber. This chamber, however, will not be mimicking his home planet but rather Earth. I want to see how well he can figure out basic human objects on his own, like phones and television. You will only be allowed to spend time with him for five hours once a day. The rest of the time you must do some other duties, such as following me around and doing some assistant work."

"Why would you have me do that for you? Be an assistant, I mean."

"Because I want to keep you very, very close to me." He answered sharply. "Understand?"

Ludwig lowered his head. "Yes sir." 'Sai must figure that I plan to do something.'

"Good." he stood up from the chair and fixed his lab coat. "Gilbert will be recovering for the rest of the night. Remain here and get well so you can start fresh tomorrow. I'll have the doctors prepare your discharge papers."

"Thank you."

Ludwig sat silent in the room after Sai left.

/

"Professor, we have the results of Gilbert's tests."

Sai tapped his fingers on the desk. "Well? What are they?"

"The sperm did not take. His body rejected it."

"Damn." Sai hissed. "I guess we should move away from this. Barren is barren." It annoyed him that Gilbert's body did not take the sperm, which would have made Ludwig's argument valid. To implant a new womb would be a complete waste of time since he would have to triple the altering of the alien's body for an albino was not so easily changed.

"What should we do next, Professor?" Asked the scientist. "Just continue with reintroduction?"

Sai was silent for a few moments as he contemplated what to do. "No." He finally said. "There's not much more we can do with him. Changing his albinism will kill him, thus making everything we've worked for. He can't get pregnant so there is no further use for him."

"Then what should we do?"

"We'll present a logical speech to the Space Board explaining why we need to return to Gilbert's planet and find another alien, one that is not an albino and completely useless. Put Gilbert in with the other failed experiments." He smirked. "We may have some need for him in the future."

"And what about Ludwig?"

"Dismiss him from our laboratories. His services are no longer needed either."

"Yes sir, Professor."

"Hmph." Sai clicked his tongue. "Another experiment that failed to live up to my expectations."

/

Gilbert wasn't sure what was happening to him but once he woke up from the surgery he was placed in some container, like a cage, and is being transported elsewhere. He looked around desperately for any sign of Ludwig but his mate was nowhere to be found. The scientists and guards escorting him would not answer his questions and simply ignored him. What were they going to do with him? And where was Ludwig? What happened to him?

"I want Ludwig!" Gilbert shouted and banged on the clear cell wall. "I WANT HIM NOW!" Still, no one answered him. "WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME? I DEMAND TO KNOW!"

"Be quiet, you little white rat." Sneered one of the familiar scientists. "You're failure has resulted in a massive waste of our time!"

Gilbert tilted his head. "Failure? You're saying I did something wrong?"

"You're no longer of any use or value to us, so we are putting you with the other useless specimens."

"Specimens?" There are others like him? "What do you mean?"

The scientist rolled his eyes. "Other aliens and humans who have failed in the name of science."

Gilbert's eyes widened. "There are others like me? You've done these things to other beings?" He shouted in outrage. "Just how many lives have you and your fucking team destroyed?"

"You'll meet them all soon." The man answered with a dark smirk. "Don't worry, we'll still feed you and care for you, but there are ways in which you will still be useful."

He didn't understand what the man meant but he did know that where he is going was not a habitat chamber. And he was partially right.

They did drop him off in a habitat chamber, only it wasn't anything like the one he was used to. The guards pulled him out of the cell and tossed him roughly to the ground, forcing the skin to stretch at his incision spot. With a hiss he clenched his side and looked back to see the door closing behind him. Cursing softly, he got onto his knees and looked at his new surroundings. Barren black land lay before him. The sky was a dark gray, the trees black and burned, and the ground hard and rocky beneath him.

'This place is terrible.' He said to himself. 'But where are all the others?'

His question was quickly answered when a multitude of sounds filled the woods around him. Suddenly, hundreds of pairs of eyes were watching him as dark bodies crept through the trees like shadows. He shied away in fear, feeling his blood run cold and his heart to still. His eyes slowly began to widen as the failed specimens seemed to make their way closer.

"Ludwig…" he started softly. "Ludwig...LUDWIG!"

/

"Dismissed?" Ludwig grabbed the guard by his shirtfront. "You must have your orders wrong! Professor Sai said I wasn't dismissed!"

"Those were the orders I was told!" The guard shouted back. "Get your hands off of me!"

Ludwig let him go and soon they were joined by one of the other scientists. "Is this true? Have I been dismissed?"

"Both you and Gilbert." Answered the man.

"Both of us? Why?"

"Gilbert's body failed to take the sperm and its too much work to replace his entire body without him dying, so we tossed him away."

Ludwig's eyes widened in disbelief and fear. "You're lying."

"Oh, he's still on the ship," smirked the man "But you'll never find him. Best you forget about your little alien friend for you will never see him again, once the OTHERS get him."

"Others? What others? What do you mean?" He demanded.

The scientist just laughed. "Move all of your things out of here and back to the soldier dorms where you belong. Keep the money in your account. Never show your face here again or you'll find yourself marooned on the next available planet."

Ludwig stood in shock as the two men left his room. He stared down at his feet for a long moment trying to process the news. They took Gilbert away and put him somewhere on the ship. But where? Ludwig thought he knew every part of the ship for they had to learn it in basic training once he boarded the Quasar 575. Then there must be another secret part of the ship that he didn't know about. But if he was not allowed to be in these parts of the lab, then how is he to find out?

Suddenly, his plans to escape with Gilbert to a happier life started to slowly fade away.

**End Chapter 5 TBC**


	6. Fly Away (Final)

*****Sorry for the very late update guys! My carpal tunnel has been brutally painful and things have been sucky on my end here. Anyway, this is the last chapter of Terrestrial. It's a short story, I know, and if it feels a bit rushed, then I'm sorry. Pain only lets you do so much. ^^ So I hope you enjoy it! I made it fluffy and light, so everyone can be happy! ^^ Thanks for reading!**

*****Warning: Language, humor, fluff**

*****Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. I am making no money off of this fic.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Fly Away**

Ludwig sat at the bar in the far corner away from all the others, deep in thought, and worried about Gilbert. He racked his brain trying to think of someone, anyone, that he could ask who may know where these 'others' are kept. And just who, or what, are these 'others'? The only conclusion he could come to is that they are also failed experiments, all kept together like some freak-show zoo. But if they were failed experiments, and they were all still alive, then why would they be kept on the ship? If they served no purpose then why keep them? Sai must have some other dark, cruel reason to keep these 'failed experiments'. But what?

"Something on your mind, buddy?" Asked the bartender. "You look a little down in the dumps."

Ludwig lifted his head and said, "I'm just deep in thought...am I taking up a spot at the bar? I can move."

"Not unless you're going to stop buying?" The man answered with smirk and kept scrubbing a glass mug with a bar towel. "Look kid, I see you here a lot and there is never a smile on your face. Alcohol is a depressant, you know. It doesn't solve problems- just makes them seem less troublesome, am I right?"

Ludwig finished his beer and ordered another. The bartender handed him a full mug and said it was on the house. Ludwig thanked him and said, "I lost a friend on the ship yesterday."

"Lost? That shouldn't be too hard to fix. Just call the main operating chamber, they can track your friend down."

"If only it were that easy." Ludwig sipped the foam from the beer. "I searched everywhere on the ship and I can't find him."

The bartender started cleaning another glass as he thought for a few moments. "You know, there is someone on this ship who may be able to help. He's a mechanic, a slightly poor one, but a mechanic none the less. This guy's crawled everywhere on this ship. I'm sure if you spoke to him or one of his groupies, he may be able to point you to some hidden places."

Ludwig's hopes jumped back to life. "Who is this man? Where can I find him?"

The man sucked his teeth and then let his breath out with a little whistle. "You might not want to get too involved with him, since you're a galactic soldier and all. He's a bit of a troublemaker and a rebel rouser- hell of a nice guy, friendly too. Just a little...eccentric."

"My reputation speaks for itself. I'll be fine. Now where can I find him?"

One steep tip later, Ludwig had a name and a destination. He made his way down to the space pit where they hold, fix, and build smaller spaceships or other mechanical devices the Quasar 575 may need. This would also be a good time to search for an escape ship. Usually he had no reason to come down to the space pit so no one knew him there. To the mechanics, he was just another soldier on patrol, which made his presence much less noticeable.

Sounds of drilling metal filled his ears with the smell of gasoline and oil overloading his senses. He had to dodge one or more waterfalls of sparks and bits of metal raining down like tiny asteroids. He suddenly gained a large amount of respect for space mechanics if this is what they worked and dealt with all day, every day. But he still had to find the mechanic who may be his only chance at rescuing Gilbert so he decided to simply ask one of the workers.

"I'm looking for a man named Alfred! Last name, Jones!" he yelled over the sound of a rotary saw.

"Jones?" The mechanic lifted his protective face shield. "What's he done now?"

"Just checking in." Ludwig answered quickly.

The man pointed to the right. "He's all the way in the back working on a few hunks of junk."

Ludwig thanked him and hurried over to the very end of the space pit where one man sat alone on top of a spaceship hammering away at something or another. He took a moment to look at the strange ship, and strange wasn't even the best word to describe it. It looked to be made from scrap metal, welded together with glue, and painted with graffiti. Of course, he had little knowledge of engineering spaceships so it is possible that this particular one is a...special order? Whatever it was, he needed to concentrate on the person right now and not the ship.

"Excuse me!" He called up to the man. "Are you Alfred Jones?"

"Hey, yeah! That's me!" Called the man with a large, cheerful smile that radiated 'fun' and 'friendly'. He had dark splotches of oil in his wheat-colored hair and wore smudged protective goggles over his blue eyes. His jumpsuit, also covered in oil, did not match the uniform design of the other mechanics for instead of gray, his was dark green. He wore an old-fashioned style bomber jacket with the number 50 on it, also covered in oil and torn in a few places. "What can I do for 'ya?"

Ludwig forced an awkward smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ludwig. Could you come down here? I wish to speak with you."

Alfred lifted the goggles to rest them on his forehead. "Hey, you're a soldier! I didn't do anything, got it? It wasn't me! Whatever happened, it wasn't me this time!"

"I'm not here about anything you've done. I have something to ask you." He took a quick leap back as the crazed mechanic jumped down from the ship. "That was reckless!" he scolded.

"Eh, whatever. So, what do you want to talk about?"

Ludwig looked around to make sure no one else was in ear shot before speaking to Alfred. "I need to know how to get to some...forbidden rooms in the ship."

Alfred leaned in and whispered, "You mean the women's locker room?"

"Yes- wait, what? No!" He glared with a mild sneer. "Other places! Rooms or stations that are under lock and key...those closed to the public. Do you understand?"

Alfred gave a crooked smile. "Ah, I see. You're trying to get me to let you know how I do things around here! Well, you can just turn on your heel and go straight back to your dorm, soldier boy!" He pointed towards the exit. "I'm only a humble ship builder."

Ludwig clicked his tongue with annoyance when Alfred turned his back to him to resume working on the ship. Maybe now was the time to approach the matter of payment for a ship, mainly this ship. Or whatever it was. "Wait, I am in need of a ship- a ship that will get me away from here quickly...like an escape ship."

Alfred turned around to give him a curious look. "An escape ship? Why would you want that?" He narrowed his gaze slightly. "And who told you to come to me?"

"My story is my business." Ludwig said. "I do have a large sum of money and I am willing to buy this ship from you, if it is for sale, and in...working condition?"

Alfred let out a mighty, heroic laugh. "Dude, I got the best ship in this station!" he threw his arm over Ludwig's shoulders. "Don't judge a book by its cover, right? This baby can FLY, and I mean FLY, faster than any of these 'dime a dozen' ships my colleagues make! If you're in trouble and need to get away fast, this fella' will see it done!"

"Good, because in a few days, hopefully, I will be needing it. However, I will not purchase it until you show me how to get around the ship, unnoticed, to closed off areas." He realized that Alfred wasn't answering because he feared being found out. "How can I assure you that I am not working against you? I need your help to find a friend of mine...an alien."

"An alien?" Alfred's brows lifted in surprise. "There's tons of aliens on the Quasar!"

Ludwig shook his head. "This one is different. He was sent to a special area, a secret area, where there are 'others' like him." Perhaps he was saying too much.

"You're looking for the 'failed experiments' room." Alfred suddenly answered, and now it was Ludwig's turn to be surprised. "I've been there before. It's a terrible place, full of monstrous aliens. But why exactly do you want to go there? To find your alien friend? How did they get there?"

"Please, that's not important right now. That is my story and I want to keep it to myself. I will pay extra for this ship if you promise to not ask any more questions!"

"Geez, all right. Cool your jets, bro." He pat Ludwig's chest. "If you don't rat me out, I won't rat you out!"

"Deal. Now show me how to get there."

/

Ludwig was hoping for some secret passageways or hidden elevators that would lead to his destination. He did not, however, think he would end up crawling on his belly through the ventilation system behind a pair of smelly combat boots stained with oil. If the scent from the oil didn't kill him first then the tightness of the vents will. Plus, they had been crawling through the vents for hours, or for what seemed like hours. As an officer and a soldier, it is his duty to arrest Alfred for sneaking around the ship like this, and should the man fail in his promise, Ludwig would do just that.

"Here we are." Alfred said with a sudden stop.

Ludwig's face almost ran into the other's boots. "Are you certain?" He saw an open vent beside Alfred shining with light. Alfred moved further up so that he could crawl to the opening.

Looking through the vent slats, he was surprised to see another habitat chamber, this one very large, and crawling with creatures. The area was a barren wasteland with dead trees, cloudy sky, and rocky ground. Some of the creatures moving around looked like monsters but they were really just failed experiments being kept out of cruelty. Ludwig had to wonder if Sai, in his spare time, came to this place just to watch these creatures crawl around. He noticed to the far side of the chamber there was an observation balcony, meaning that scientists come in here. But seeing all these strange creatures moving around he grew worried for Gilbert because he looked like a human while the rest look like monsters.

"Do you see your friend?" Alfred asked, surprising Ludwig with his skill to completely turn around inside the tight vent.

"No. But this habitat chamber is massive...I'd have to get down there to see, but this is where he would be. He is a failed experiment. To them. Not to me."

Alfred looked through the vent slats as well. "So your friend could be one of these big guys walking around?"

"No, he looks very, very human. It's a long story. But Gilbert looks just like us, he's about your height with a slightly slimmer build. I have to get him out of here...he's-" he blushed and shook his head. "Nothing. I need you to lead me back here once I have what I need to find him."

Alfred grinned. "You like this alien guy, don't you?"

"That is none of your business." Ludwig said firmly. "I have to get him out of this place and off this ship. We need to make it to the rebel ship where he and I can be safe." His eyes slowly widened with how easily he blurted all that out to a stranger. He didn't want to snap Alfred's neck but if he had to to ensure their escape, he would.

"Dude, an epic rescue! Awesome!"

"This is not some sort of game, Alfred."

"I know it's not a game, but I love adventure and danger!"

Ludwig rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It sounds like you want to involve yourself."

"I have enough bad marks against me as it is. Besides, I know how to get the rebel ship!" He grinned at Ludwig's shocked look. "You told me your secret, now I can tell you mine! I'm part of the rebel spy group here on the ship. I learned from the best! I can radio ahead and let him know that we will be coming with an escapee."

"Wait, you want to come with me?"

"You need a ship to get out, don't you? I know how to drive and operate my ship, AND I know how to get there, so duh! Of course I'm coming!" He grinned and laughed. "This is going to be great!"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down!" Ludwig hissed at him through his teeth. "I don't want us to get caught. I'm under suspicion as it is." he looked back through the slats. "There is something else you can help me with. Is your ship large enough to fit six dogs?"

Alfred lifted a brow. "Dogs? You mean from the kennel?"

"Yes. They are all my dogs. I don't want to leave them here where that bastard Sai can do them harm because of what I've done. They are galactic dogs, they are well trained." He looked back at Alfred. "Can you fit them?"

"Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. I can get the dogs while you're getting your friend? That way no one will notice you down there taking them away."

Ludwig nodded. "Good. When you see the kennel keeper, Louis, tell him I sent you and that I have need of the dogs."

"The scientists all go to dinner at the same time- I'll get the dogs then so I won't be noticed. You can hide out with your friend in the pit beneath my ship. No one ever goes there. I need at least one more day to fix a few things before we take off."

"Thank you for your help, Alfred. I will pay you when all of this over."

"Just give to the heroes and our cause." He said with a thumbs up. "We rebels take donations."

"I see. Show me the way back so that we can gather what we need. I will need you to aid in Gilbert's escape from here."

Alfred ruffled the blond hair. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it! I'm a hero, after all! I know I don't look it, but I am! I'll see you both out of here safely, because I'm a hero!"

Ludwig thought that Alfred had some personal issues to sort out but that was a conversation for another day. Now he just had to figure out how to turn around in the tight vent…

/

'This is a terrible place,' Gilbert thought to himself. 'These poor aliens.'

While he explored the barren habitat chamber he met many of the other 'failed experiments' but they were not dangerous at all. The poor things were terrified of him, probably because he looked so much like a human and their first reaction is to shy away. They all had gone through torturous experiences the same as he, maybe some even more so. And they all appeared to be malnourished. For as long as he has been there no food or water or anything has been given. This place is just further torture for these poor creatures.

'If I could I would kill that bastard Sai and eat his inners!' He felt his fangs start to grow. 'To just rip his throat out and watch him bleed for the torture and humiliation these poor aliens had to go through for his gain. Bastard.'

Gilbert heard the sound of peeping coming from somewhere near his feet. It didn't occur to him that one of the creatures here could be small, since so many of them were big. Curious, he got on his hands and knees to sniff the ground, searching for the small peeping creature. It grew louder as he came closer, coming from a hole in the bottom of a tree. He peered inside and could see a small creature hopping around, and peeping.

"Hello there." He smiled. "Hi little guy. Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you." He reached his hand inside only to feel something sharp peck it. "Ow!" Gilbert nursed his finger for a second before returning to the hole. "Don't be scared, little guy. I'm nice." Figuring it was still afraid of his human appearance, Gilbert switched to his alien language. Once the creature heard the words it slowly started to come out of its hole.

When Gilbert laid eyes on the tiny creature he felt his smile turn into a wide grin and his insides felt very happy for the creature was adorable! It resembled a bird, at least to the box of information in my brain. The 'bird' was a plump little yellow ball of feathery fluff. It's wings seemed too small for its plump body, which may be the reason it was hopping. And it had four bird feet. On its back were marks and scars, so this creature is also a failed experiment. How could they be so cruel to operate and experiment on a tiny little creature?

Gilbert cupped his hands and laid them down, palms up, on the ground in front of the alien bird. The creature tilted its head left and right as it tried to decide what to do. Gilbert waited patiently. Finally, the bird gave three little hops before it jumped into Gilbert's palms. He grinned as the bird seemed to appear comfortable by the way it fluffed its feathers and further curled into its plumpness, making it look more...plumper, than before.

"You are so cute! What an awesome little guy!" Gilbert brought the bird up to his cheek and they cuddled. "You're so awesome that I'm going to call you, 'Gilbird'! You are Gilbird, and you will be my Gilbird!" Gilbird peeped and flapped his tiny wings with pride. He lept to sit on Gilbert's shoulder. "Ha! I got my own little minion now!"

Gilbird began to chirp a little song that echoed throughout the habitat chamber. Gilbert wondered what the little alien bird was doing. He then noticed movement from all around him as the other creatures started to creep towards them. Gilbert held his breath, wondering if this was all trick to allow the others to eat him, and Gilbird was telling them what to do. Now they were all around him, peeking out from around rocks and trees like frightened animals. They didn't appear ready to eat him.

From behind a rock came a strange alien creature with nine legs, a long tail, and a head in the shape of a mushroom or jellyfish. It crawled from behind the rock, taking many small, cautious steps towards him. Gilbird bounced and chirped again as if cheering the alien on. Gilbert then realized what Gilbird was trying to do. He was attempting to get the other aliens to accept him. So he waited patiently as the alien approached him. The large, jellyfish-like head suddenly nudged his leg and taking a chance, Gilbert reached his hand down to lay it on the alien's back. The alien didn't move away.

Then he was surrounded by many other aliens, all tortured and mutilated in some way, eager to welcome him. Gilbert was pleased to have made friends with them for now he had nothing to fear from these hurt creatures. They were just like him and have suffered at the hands of the same human. When Ludwig comes to save him, he will ask for their freedom as well.

/

When Ludwig and Alfred returned to the habitat chamber they had brought a rope with them. The rope would be to let Ludwig climb down, find Gilbert, and then have Alfred pull them up. From there they would return to the spaceship, hide there for awhile, and then take off once the ship was ready for travel.

Alfred used his multi tool to remove the screws from the vent. It took a bit of maneuvering and some forceful pressure but eventually the grid came off. Ludwig tossed the rope down while Alfred secured it around his waist. Due to the limited amount of space they had to work in, this is the only option. Alfred was certain of his hero's strength, though, and held tight as Ludwig began the slow climb down to the habitat chamber.

Gilbert was getting to know the other aliens when one suddenly let out a warning cry to make all the others run away, except for Gilbird. "What happened?" He wondered out loud. Gilbird peeped and used his chubby wing to point at someone coming down a rope from the vents. "It's Ludwig!" Gilbert gasped.

With tears of hope and his heart filled with joy, Gilbert ran to where Ludwig seemed to be dangling on the rope. "Ludwig!" He called up to him.

"Gilbert! Thank the stars you're alright!" Ludwig managed to look down at him but lost his holding on the rope.

"I'll catch you, Ludwig!" As Ludwig tumbled from the rope, Gilbert reached his arms out to catch the falling man just in time. But Ludwig was too heavy for him when the mass landed in his arms and Gilbert toppled over with his lover's rather bony ass crushing his ribcage. "Caught...you."

Ludwig looked at him. "Are you hurt?"

"I won't be...once you get off me."

"Oh!" he jumped off of Gilbert's chest. "I'm sorry. But quickly, we must hurry! We're escaping!"

"Escaping? But, I can't leave yet." Gilbert stated.

Ludwig looked at him as if he were crazy. "Excuse me?"

"I...I have to help these other creatures." Gilbert said. "They are like me...all suffering. They have no one where as I am lucky to have you. I can't just leave them here to this life! They need rescuing too!"

Ludwig couldn't let this go on so he knelt in front of Gilbert and grabbed the alien's shoulders. "You can't do anything for them while trapped in here. We're going to get you out of here and we will escape to the rebel ship. Once there, we will tell the rebels about these creatures and then we can formulate a plan to rescue them all. But first, we need to get YOU out of here. It may be selfish of me to say this, but I don't care about those other creatures right now. I care only about you. We will come back for them, I promise."

"You promise?"

"I do. I have yet to break a real promise to you. So do you trust me?"

Gilbert thought for a moment and smiled. "Yes! Yes, I do trust you, Ludwig, because I love you! Oh, and Gilbird is coming with us!"

"Who?" Ludwig's eyes crossed as the strange yellow alien bird presented itself. "I...see. Gilbird?"

Gilbert grinned. "Yeah! Just like me! Only he's a bird! And the 'bert' in 'Gilbert' is close to 'bird' and-"

"I get it. We don't have much time. Hurry now. I'll carry yo-" Ludwig watched in pure amazement as Gilbert crawled up the rope like a big lizard with 'Gilbird' flying behind. "Okay then."

His climb was quick, but still not as fast as Gilbert's.

When Gilbert reached the top of the rope he was surprised to see another human looking back at him. This human he had never seen before but they were holding the other end of the rope. Their eyes met and locked for a moment before Gilbert asked who he was.

"I'm Alfred! I've been helping Ludwig rescue you! We're going to get you out of here and to a safe place, okay?" He winked. "I'm a hero, so you don't have to worry about a thing being with me!" Alfred helped the alien crawl into the vent and then looked down at Ludwig, who was nearing the top. "Come on, Ludwig! You can go faster than that!"

Gilbert peeked his head out of the vent too. "Yeah, come on, Ludwig!"

Ludwig only grumbled in mild annoyance as he finally reached the top. "Gilbert, follow behind Alfred, and no one make a sound, including the bird."

Gilbird chirped.

/

Hiding out in the pit underneath Alfred's spaceship was not the best place, nor the most comfortable, to reside in but they had little choice. The spaceship above hid them from other mechanics passing by. Gilbert was amazed at the design of the ship and enjoyed listening to Alfred tinker with it. Gilbird remained with them, perched quietly on Gilbert's shoulder.

Ludwig wasn't having such an easy time, though. His thoughts were plagued with worry and fear of their upcoming escape. He remembered that inside Gilbert's neck was not only a computer but the discipline chip as well. There was a chance that the chip was only used for just that, but what if there is a tracking device inside of it? When he mentioned it to Alfred the man said that his friend on the rebel ship can have it removed, but that wouldn't help them during the escape. If they can track Gilbert then Ludwig would be leading the whole Quasar 575 to the ship of the rebels. More than just their lives would be lost. Now that they were so close to actually carrying out the plan he began to doubt himself. But there is no turning back now. He is in way too deep, and he cares too much for Gilbert to just drop everything and leave. He wanted a life with Gilbert, and if they are to achieve that then they have to take this chance and escape.

There was so much to life that Gilbert is missing out on and Ludwig knows the alien will enjoy it. Gilbert has held on and survived this long, so he will learn to accept their new life together, wherever that may be. They would have to play it by ear and judge for themselves where they should live. If they have to, Ludwig figured they would run with the rebels for protection, or at least until Gilbert is forgotten about. If Sai really had no further use for Gilbert then he shouldn't care about the alien leaving...unless it was out of spite that he would hunt Gilbert down. It seemed there is much more at risk now. However, he does have Alfred on his side and the man, though a little much for him, is surprisingly good at what he does. Alfred is looking at this as a hero's way of saving two people in distress. If that's how Alfred wanted to look at it to get the job done right, who was he to complain?

"Ludwig," Gilbert whispered his name and sat beside him. "Where do we go when the ship is done?"

Ludwig whispered back to him as well. "We're going to a rebel ship. These rebels want to see aliens like you safe, so we are going to their ship. Alfred knows how to get there. And I'm bringing the dogs with me. My dogs."

Gilbert suddenly narrowed his eyes. "So you will take your dogs but not those poor aliens suffering?"

"Does this ship look like it would fit all those massive creatures?" Ludwig questioned with sarcasm that Gilbert didn't seem to catch on to yet. "The dogs I can fit in here. If Sai finds out what I've done he might go after my dogs and purposefully do them harm. They are my dogs and my companions. I cannot bear to see or think about that happening. Alfred will get the dogs before we leave."

Gilbert nodded, understanding why Ludwig was doing things this way. "So...at this ship, this rebel ship, will we have a life together? As mates?"

"Yes." Ludwig answered.

"And we can try to have babies?" Gilbert asked hopefully.

Ludwig looked at him seriously. "You know you can't have children, Gilbert."

"But sometimes miracles can happen!" He grinned. "You never know! I want to have a family with you, Ludwig! It's in my genetic makeup to want to mate and have offspring!"

"And I understand that." He pat the top of Gilbert's hand. "But for now, and maybe for a lot longer, we can't...try for children, not until we are away from Sai and know that we are safe."

Gilbert sighed heavily, crossing his arms with a heavy pout. "You're right, as always." he glanced at him. "But we can still try...just later."

"Yes." Ludwig nodded.

"How will you build my nest?"

"Excuse me?" Ludwig raised both brows. "Build you a nest? Gilbert," he sighed quickly. "We will be living in...well, I hope, a house or an apartment. I can't very well build you a nest to sleep in. You will sleep in a bed."

Gilbert snorted. "But if we have children I want a nest. No, I NEED to nest! I don't want to become a full human, Ludwig, because I am not a human." He had to remind Ludwig of that. "I will still do some things that are true to who I am."

"Yes, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so...unfeeling. But right now we have much greater matters to focus on. We need to get off of this ship first."

Gilbert nodded and looked up at the bottom of the ship. "Are you sure this thing can fly?"

"Alfred says it will go very fast. I think he's building it FOR the rebels."

"Are we simply test subjects for his jet?" Gilbert wondered out loud.

"I'm not sure, but we should try to get some sleep. I'll take the first watch. We'll take turns watching above."

Pleased with the idea of finally getting some sleep, Gilbert laid down on the floor and rest his head in Ludwig's lap. He smiled in content, and even purred a bit when Gilbird settled himself in the crook of his neck. So far, everything had gone according to plan and Gilbert hoped it would stay that way. His mate was so warm with that big, gentle hand gliding across his hair. It was easy to fall asleep quickly.

Ludwig sat in patient silence while Gilbert snored softly into his thigh. He looked up when he heard someone coming down into the pit just as all the lights were turning off. It was Alfred holding a lantern light. Ludwig had to shield his eyes momentarily from the brightness. "What is it?" He asked.

"Everyone's going to bed, so I have to be off." Alfred whispered. "Tomorrow we can take off!" He grinned. "The scientists eat dinner at 8:00 Earth time, so I'll leave a little before then to get your dogs. Oh, and take these." He tossed Ludwig an army sack. "I have two old mechanic suits in there. Put them on before we leave."

"Good thinking. And what would you like Gilbert and I to be doing when you leave to get the dogs?"

"Have the wheels unchained and then be ready to jump in the ship. This all has to be fast. Can you call the dogs to you?"

"Yes, they will come to me when you bring them here."

"Great, then I'll be getting the hatch open for take off and then BAM! Freedom!"

"Alright, thank you for all of this, Alfred."

Alfred gave him a smile. "Don't mention it. It's my duty as a hero of the new world, right?"

Ludwig raised a brow. "A new world?"

"Yeah! Once you join our team it will be awesome to have a former galactic soldier helping us! You can help our people to use weapons and teach them how to properly train and build endurance! That kind of stuff!" His face became serious. "You will help us, won't you?"

There was no chance of him ever being able to return to the galactic army so with tight lips he gave a harsh nod. "Yes, I will help you, just as you are helping me."

Alfred left them with a grin.

Gilbert stirred awake after Alfred left and he sat up with a yawn. "Time to go yet?"

"No, not yet. Tomorrow." Ludwig told him. "Did you get enough sleep?"

"Yeah. How about you? You sleep while I keep watch now?"

Ludwig's eyes were feeling very heavy at the promise of sleep. "Yes. Wake me if you are uncertain about anything."

"Will do! I got Gilbird here with me for extra eyes!"

Gilbird chirped.

Ludwig barely heard them as his eyes fell closed and he drifted off into sleep.

/

Come the afternoon of the next day, Ludwig felt nervous and jumpy while fumbling with the chains on the wheels. Alfred had not returned yet with the dogs and Gilbert, along with Gilbird, were becoming restless. There were too many mechanics around, Ludwig thought, for them to go not unnoticed when the hatch is opened. At this point they had no other option but to continue on with Alfred's plan. Sai would know they have left but with any luck, they would be far enough away from the Quasar 575.

Finally, Ludwig managed to get all the chains off of the wheels. He wiped the sweat from his brow before looking down in the pit at Gilbert. "You need to get in the ship now."

"But I'll be seen!" Gilbert whispered.

Ludwig looked around. "There's no one to the right of us, and the mechanic suit will keep anyone looking by chance take notice of you. But let me get the hatch open first." He found the button under a plastic box. This had to be the one that opens the hatch. Holding his breath, he pressed it; and the hatch opened. "Come on! Inside!"

Gilbert stuffed Gilbird in his uniform and crawled out of the pit on the right side. Not realizing what he was doing, Gilbert used his alien skills to crawl along the ship like a lizard and swiftly entered the cockpit.

Ludwig whipped his head around to see if anyone had taken notice but everyone seemed focused on their own work. 'Phew. That was close.'

"What do I do with these?" Gilbert asked as he held up the seat belts.

"You will put those on to keep you safe. Once this ship takes off you'll be thrown all around if you aren't strapped in safely. Sit down, I'll do it for you." Ludwig climbed inside and showed Gilbert the proper way to sit before locking him securely in the holster seatbelt.

"What about Gilbird?"

Ludwig looked at the strange flying creature. "He'll be fine because he has wings. You may want to hold him for take-off, though." He glanced out at the doorway. "Where is Alfred?" He whispered under his breath.

"Hey! You up there!" Called a voice, another mechanic, from below the ship.

Ludwig gulped but looked down at him from the cockpit, forcing his features to be stern. "What is it?"

The mechanic's face was covered completely black with oil and grease. "Are you the new guy?"

"I...I am."

"Oh, hey Fred! Welcome aboard!"

Ludwig forced a crooked smile. "Hello."

Gilbert was trying not to laugh out loud.

"Hey, just a word of advice, don't be hanging around too much with Jones, okay?"

"He just asked me to look at a few things here. I'll do that for a bit and then I'll be done with him."

The man winked. "Awesome! If you have any questions, just come ask me, Dylan the Kid!"

"Dylan...the...Kid?"

"You got it, man! Fist bumps, bro!" He held out his fist to Ludwig.

Ludwig wasn't sure what to do so he just held out his fist as well, forcing Dylan to jump up and bump their fists. 'What's the point of that?' Ludwig wondered.

"We need to loosen you up, bro! Come by the bar late tonight! A bunch of us always gather after work!"

"Yes, I may just do that."

Gilbert hissed. "You sound too proper! Talk like them!"

"I mean, I'll...sit and have a...cold one with you guys."

Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"Sure, man! Stay cool, new bro!"

"Same to you...cool bro?" Ludwig waved at the man as he walked away. "That was close."

Gilbert just smirked. "You really do need to loosen up."

Ludwig glared at him. "Don't start with me on this. I-" his head snapped back to the doors as he saw Alfred running in with the dogs behind him. "It's Alfred!"

The ship's exit hatch began to slowly open. The mechanics panicked, quickly running away to hide behind the protective office glass so as to not get swept out into space The hatch was slow to open, giving Alfred and the dogs time to reach the ship. Ludwig called to the dogs and they all climbed the ship to eagerly jump inside, tackling Ludwig with kisses.

Alfred jumped inside and closed the ship's hatch, quickly pushing and programing numerous buttons. Soon the ship was full of beeps as it shook violently and lifted off the floor. "We're moving! Strap in, Ludwig! The dogs are on their own!"

Ludwig panted as he crawled from the pile of dogs to sit in the seat beside Gilbert, strapping himself in. Red lights in the warehouse began to flash brightly with a loud siren blaring over the vicious hums of the ship. Alfred gripped both handles and shouted, "HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS!"

The ship took off in a fast, sharp bolt.

"WHOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!" Alfred shouted in victorious rapture.

Ludwig thought he had swallowed his tongue, teeth and lips from the force and speed of the ship.

Gilbert thought he had lost his eyes.

The dogs were whimpering in the far back of the ship as their squashed bodies were pressed against one another in a pile of flattened fur.

"AND…...THEY'REEEEEEEEE OUTTA HEEEEEEERRREEEE!" Alfred hollered again now that they were out of the ship and in the middle of black and stars.

Everyone could rest normally now.

"We actually made it." Ludwig gasped out. "Is everyone alright?" He looked back at the dogs who all were okay, just shaken up.

"I'm okay." Gilbert answered. "And so is Gilbird."

Alfred tapped something on the ship's screen. "We should be getting to the rebel ship soon. I radioed ahead to Arthur last night to be in this area. He should send the coordinates any minute now."

"I wonder why no one has followed us?" Ludwig asked out loud. "Word is out that you escaped at least."

"Yeah, but I'm always doing this kind of stuff. They probably just give up on me and turn the other way."

Gilbert suddenly felt a sharp shooting pain in the back of his neck. He hissed and slapped a hand to the scar where the device inside was sending pain throughout his body. "It hurts!"

Ludwig saw where he was holding. "I knew it! They know we left! Sai is doing this to him!" He turned to Alfred. "Go faster! They may be tracking us through Gilbert!"

"I can't! Not until I get the word from Arthur! My sensors show no signs of ships...wait! Take the gears for me!" Alfred said to Ludwig. "I can get that thing out!"

"You're not a doctor!" Ludwig said but switched seats with Alfred anyway.

"IT HURTS!" Gilbert cried.

Alfred took out his pocket knife. "It's going to hurt, and we'll have to cover it up really fast, so just bear with me. I promise we'll make the pain stop."

"Ludwig!" Gilbert called out to him for reassurance.

"It'll be alright, Gilbert. Just...just relax." He hoped he was right to let Alfred do this.

Alfred closed one eye, lined the blade up with the old stitches, and carefully cut through each one with the tip. The wounds started to bleed but he could see the black box inside. With his glove on, he reached two fingers inside, ignored Gilbert's cry, and pulled the tiny device out covered in blood. He threw it to the floor and stepped on it to shatter the thing into pieces. Next, he used his aviator scarf to wrap around Gilbert's neck to cover the wound, making sure the knot was tied right over the open wound.

"It's out. We're safe."

Gilbert gave a sigh of relief. "Thanks Alfred."

"No problem. Once we get to the ship our doctors will look at you. They may even be able to fix you up a bit."

Gilbert's eyes lit up. "You mean...they can give me back my alien body?"

Alfred took his seat back from Ludwig. "Well, they have done so on other aliens. We've never seen your kind before, at least I don't think so. But let the doctors make that decision. They are alien and human."

Ludwig smiled at Gilbert when he joined him in the seat, now surrounded by dogs. "How do you feel?"

"It hurts, my neck, I mean. But I'm really happy to be away from there." He smiled back. "We'll be someplace safe soon."

"Yes. Yes we will." Ludwig answered.

/

"Sir, are we really going to let them escape? They've destroyed our device!"

Sai sat at his desk and lit a cigarette. He looked at his comrades and smiled patiently. "He'll be back. Once the rebels hear what we have done to Gilbert's planet, they will quickly tell him and then Gilbert will want revenge." He smirked. "That's when we'll be ready for him. So let him run. Let him get a taste of freedom. It's not skin off our backs."

"If you say so, professor."

"He was a failure to me anyway." He sighed. "I guess we should cover our tracks for a bit, though. Execute all the other failed specimens. Right away. We'll say a disease broke out and we had to kill all of them, including Gilbert."

"Yes sir!"

Sai gave a lonely, almost depressed sigh. "I really try too hard. Oh well. THe universe is so big." his frown turned into a smile. "I have all the time in the world to find new specimens to play with!"

/

"Okay guys, we're here." Alfred said to them. "Let me get Arthur on the line." He tapped some buttons. "Arthur? Arthur, it's Alfie. Do you read me? The eagle has landed!"

'I hear you.' Came a static reply. 'Send your coordinates.' Alfred did so. 'Turn the ship to the left and then turn it off. We'll pull you in.'

"Roger! Over and out!"

Gilbert looked out the open windowed hatch to look for signs of the spaceship. When the engine turned off he felt another type of force pulling them along. "Ludwig, I don't see the ship."

"It has a mirror shield around it. You can't see it. It reflects the black and the stars, that's why this force is pulling us in."

"Wow...that's awesome!"

As they continued on there was a white light up ahead growing larger as they approached it. It was the entranceway to the spaceship hatch. Once inside, Gilbert looked all around at the white metal walls. The dogs barked in excitement as they saw something new and all Ludwig could see was safety and relief.

A strange alien creature that looked like a green lizard person greeted them when they all exited the ship. "What's with the dogs?" The alien asked.

"Sir," Ludwig started. "These are my dogs. They are trained galactic space dogs. I could not leave them on that ship where the enemy will torture them to get at me."

The creature gave a nod. "Understood."

"Hey Artie!" Alfred slapped him on the back. "This is Arthur! But you can call him Artie! We can't pronounce his alien name!"

"Are you the leader?" Gilbert asked and pointed to Arthur.

"Pretty much. This is MY ship, the Mistress Equalia. And we're all friends here. So welcome aboard."

Gilbert and Ludwig exchanged smiles, only Gilbert's was a grin.

"You must be tired from all that." Arthur said. "Let me show you to some chambers where you can rest for a bit. Someone will be by to bring you food."

"Thank you for all your help." Ludwig said to Arthur. "What can I do to show you my appreciation?"

Arthur flicked out a snake tongue. "You will be needed to train our rebels to fight the galactic soldiers. You have the skills and the training, so now we want you to pass it on. We'll have some time later to talk more about this, because I want to know as much about the Quasar 575 as you do."

It was a little hard to realize that he would be betraying the oath he took when he became a soldier, but one glance at Gilbert reminded him of why he is doing this. "I will tell you all that I can."

"And there are other alien beings there that need to be rescued!" Gilbert added. "Aliens like me, who have been tortured and maimed!"

Arthur nodded. "We will try to fit that in to our plans, of course. We strive for all equality here, no matter what race or planet they may be from." Arthur looked at Gilbert for a moment. "You've been altered, haven't you?"

Gilbert nodded sadly.

"When you are rested, our doctors will look at you. Maybe, by some chance, you can look a bit like your alien self again, if you wish it?"

"I do! I do very much!" Gilbert answered eagerly.

"It's done, then. I'll let the doctors know. Follow me. I'll show you to your rooms."

Gilbert took Ludwig's hand in his as he and the dogs followed behind Arthur. "Ludwig?" He said the name softly.

"Yes?"

"Thank you, Ludwig." Gilbert said to him with tears in his eyes. "I'm glad I met you and mated with you."

Ludwig could find that he can smile back now that they were safe and out of harms way, at least for now. "I'm glad I met you too. You've shown me a part of myself that I didn't know I had. I never thought I would care for another human being again...and that always made me feel lonely and...well, angry. But now I know I can trust and love and hope again when I met you. So I guess we helped out each other then."

Gilbert jumped up to kiss Ludwig's cheek, and Gilbird kissed the other. "No matter where we go after this, or whatever happens in the days to come, I know we will always be together. I was lonely and you were lonely...now we don't have to be alone anymore."

"We'll get used to it." Ludwig did his best to make it a joke but it was Gilbert that stopped them to share in a deep, passionate kiss.

They were safe now.

**The End**

* * *

_**Epilogue:**_

Two weeks have passed since their escape from the Quasar 575 and nothing has happened since. There was no word from Sai or any traces of Quasar police ships searching the galaxy.

Gilbert was taken away from him for four days while the doctors on board attempted some 'reconstruction' surgery. Now he had just received word from Arthur that Gilbert was well and healing, and that he could visit.

So Ludwig went to the hospital wing of the ship and asked to see Gilbert. The nurse brought him to the very end of the hospital where, to his mild surprise, was an artificial hanging nest, this one bigger than the one in the habitat chamber. Ludwig turned to the nurse.

"Is he up there?"

"Yes. He's been very busy." She giggled and then called up to him. "Gilbert! Ludwig's here!"

Ludwig watched as his lover crawled out of the entry hole to cling to the sides of the hanging nest. He was naked, just like the first time they had met. Gilbert once again had his tail and his feet were split open like talons, but bandaged. The skin under his arm wasn't present, though.

"Did you remove his voice box?" Ludwig asked all the while just staring at the beautiful alien smiling back at him.

"No, Gilbert wanted to keep that. We checked it to make sure there was no tracking device of any kind hidden in it. But we also added…" she giggled.

"Added what?" Ludwig watched Gilbert wiggle back into the entrance hole and kick something out of it. The ball of white puff floated down towards him, landing in front of his boots. "What is this?" He picked up the cotton-like substance to examine it.

The nurse giggled again. "You should help him make the nest, you know. You're being mean."

"What? Make...the...nest?" He gulped heavily. "What did you add to him?" 'As if I don't know.'

"Ludwiiiiiiig!" Gilbert cooed from up inside the nest and used the tip of his tail like a beckoning finger to welcome Ludwig inside.

Ludwig slapped a hand to his blushing face. "Oh no…"

The nurse stroked his shoulder. "Come on, don't be shy! You're mates! Go up there and do your thing!" She said proudly.

"Thanks." Ludwig knew he didn't have a choice so he began his climb up the ladder. He could hear Gilbert rattling around inside. "Give me strength…" he whispered.

"Oh, by the way," she called up to him. "We couldn't find the true part...but you don't mind sitting on eggs, right?"

Ludwig's eyes looked as if they would burst out of his head. "WHAT?! ME? SIT ON EGGS? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING- GAH!"

A thick white tail with the strength of iron pulled him inside.

**The End**


End file.
